


Colour your life with the whole box of crayons

by katychan666



Series: Colour your life with the whole box of crayons (series) [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Kindergarten & Pre-school, Fluff, Happy Ending, Lovey-Dovey, M/M, Single Parents, single parent/teacher au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-08
Updated: 2017-03-18
Packaged: 2018-09-15 19:11:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 110,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9251912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katychan666/pseuds/katychan666
Summary: Alec, a single parent, takes his 5 year old son to preschool for the first time. Before Alec adopted Max, his biologic parents weren't treating Max as they should and some of the scars still haven't healed. Max's teacher is no other than Magnus Bane, who makes it his goal to help Max out with his social anxiety. As time passes, Magnus and Alec grow closer and the younger one finally learns that it is okay to depend on other people.(I know that the summary is kind of dark, but there will be plenty of fluff, no worries ^^)Also, MrsLadyNight translated this into Russian. The translation can be found here: https://ficbook.net/readfic/5804659





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you are going to like this :)  
> Enjoy  
> Comments & opinions are well appreciated

“Daddy, don't leave me alone!” cried out a small boy in between his sobbing as he was tightly holding onto his father, Alec Lightwood, who was slowly running out of patience. That day it was Max's first day in preschool and Alec knew it that it probably wouldn't work out to just leave the boy there. Max was a precious child, but was awfully attached to Alec, shy and anxious around people that he didn't know. In the past, Alec tried to enrol Max into day-care, so that Max could get some friends and meet new people, but it never worked out. Up until then, Alec had no troubles with having Max at home with him. Yes, he was a single parent, but he worked from home, so there was no problems. However, now that he had gotten a new job and had no one that would care after Max, preschool was necessary.

 

“Look, Max, you need to listen to me,” said Alec and sighed, going down onto his knees, so that he was closer to his son and pressed his lips together when he saw how scared Max actually was. He knew how hard it must've been on the poor boy; when he adopted Max three years ago it was much, much worse. People in the orphanage had told him that Max's biological parents were horrible to their son and it took Alec months to gain Max's trust. After that, the poor boy slowly started opening up to him and other Alec's relatives, but he was still skittish around people that he didn't know. “You see this place? It is called preschool, you'll meet other children here, new friends,” said Alec and softly and stiffened when Max's crying had gotten louder.

 

“I don't need new friends, I only need daddy,” whispered Max and Alec's heart broke when he heard that. “Did I do something bad?” he then asked and Alec's heart cracked again, wrapping his arms around his crying son as he sighed. “I-I promise to be good,” he hiccupped. “J-just don't leave-”

 

“You did nothing wrong, absolutely nothing, Max,” whispered Alec and pressed a kiss against the boy's forehead. He then looked at his watch, not even caring that he was late for work. Max hid his face into his little palms and started sobbing again and Alec gently scooped up him in his hands, carrying him to the nearest chair. As he sat down onto it, with Max in his arms, he pulled out his phone from his pocket in attempt to call his boss, to tell him that he probably wasn't going to show up for work that day. However, he was stopped when a man stepped out of the classroom and headed straight to Alec's and Max's direction. Since the man came out of the classroom that was supposed to be Max's, he knew that that was probably Max's teacher... Magnus Bane, if he remembered correctly. The man's tanned skin and spiked up, colourful hair were awfully attractive to Alec and when he caught himself staring, he quickly looked away and cleared his throat.

 

“Now, now, what's up with all the crying, young man?” asked the man, his voice soft and kind and somehow attractive to Alec. But those thoughts were pushed aside when Max held tightly onto his sweater when he saw the stranger coming closer and he quickly looked away. Alec, on the other hand, quickly got up onto his legs, still holding Max in his arms, who had by then calmed down a little bit. He wasn't crying anymore, but his little body was still shaking with fear.

 

“Ah, please do excuse us,” said Alec. “He isn't used to being away from me, so it's a bit difficult on him. But you'll be a good boy and you'll listen to daddy, right?” asked Alec, receiving a shake of protest from his son and in the end he sighed. “Alec Lightwood, by the way,” he then said and extended his hand out, Magnus taking it almost immediately.

 

“Magnus Bane,” replied the man softly and smiled as he let go off of Alec's hand, focusing his attention on Max. “And you must be Max, am I correct?” asked Magnus softly, his eyes widening when he noticed that the boy flinched when his name was mentioned. The poor boy didn't even dare to look at him and it seemed as if he was frozen with fear, unable to move, which honestly broke Magnus' heart. By then, he had seen kids crying when their parents would leave, but none of them would be like this; frozen with fear.

 

“Come on Max, say hello,” whispered Alec and turned around, so that Max could greet his teacher properly, but the other just turned buried his face into his father's shoulder. “Mr. Bane is going to be your new teacher,” he then added, trying again, but Max just shook his head.

 

“I don't need a new teacher,” stated Max and tugged onto the fabric of Alec's sweater. “I want to go with daddy,” whispered Max and closed his eyes.

 

“Max...” started Alec, but his voice trailed off. He would love to take Max with him, but of course there was no way. And the fact that Max thought that he was leaving him there as a punishment for doing something bad, was killing him. Max was afraid of being left alone more than anything and even thought three years had passed already, the scars were still present.

 

“Aw, that's too bad then,” said Magnus, a playfulness coming to his voice and Alec looked at him, sending him a confused look. He had no ideas where Magnus was going with that, but he decided to stay quiet for the time being. “If you stay here with us, you're going to have so much fun. But if you go with your dad, you'll have to listen to boring, grown up stuff. Trust me, it's no fun,” said Magnus slowly and then looked at Alec, hoping that he didn't take it too far. He was just a teacher and he knew that he shouldn't cross that line; it wasn't up to him how parents disciplined their children, but it looked like Alec was in a desperate need of help at the moment. When he gained a soft smile from Alec, he relaxed a bit and then went closer to the two of them.

 

The word fun must've had quite an impact on Max, because Alec could see that his son was now listening to Magnus, even though he still refused to look at him. “Fun?” whispered Max and looked up at Alec. “Like what, daddy?” he then asked, his eyes full of curiosity and Alec had to chuckle as he placed a hand on top of Max's head. He was kind of surprised to see how fast Max changed his mind, which usually didn't happen when meeting new people.

 

“I don't know,” said Alec and chuckled. “You'll have to ask Mr. Bane,” said Alec slowly and his smile widened just a little bit when he saw the wink that Magnus sent him.

 

Max stiffened up again and firmed fists with his little hands. At first he didn't want to turn around and his heart started beating fast with fear and anxiety. On the other hand, he still wanted to know what kind of fun Mr. Bane had planned for that day. In the end, curiosity got the best of him and Alec's eyes widened when Max slowly turned around and finally looked at his teacher. Max opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out and his face flushed when he felt his dad's eyes and Magnus' ones on him. He didn't like it how it made him feel. He knew that he should ask Mr. Bane something, but he couldn't concentrate with everyone staring at him. He didn't like it when people stared at him, it made his tummy feel weird. Just as he was about to shut down again, Magus got down onto his knees and smiled.

 

Magnus saw that Max started panicking again and he knew that as a teacher he had to react fast, which he did. He didn't want Max to shut down again. Because of that, he quickly got onto his knees and a warm smile spread across his face. “Let's see,” started Magnus and that caught Max's attention again. “Do you like singing songs, Max?” asked Magnus and the boy slowly nodded. “Good, because today, we'll be singing lots and lots of songs. Also, we'll be playing many interesting and fun games. You'll see, it's going to be so fun. I promise.”

 

“Oh, that sounds so fun, Max,” said Alec and shifted his gaze just a little bit when he saw Magnus staring up at him.

 

“I-I like drawing,” whispered Max and Magnus smiled and nodded, happy to see that the child was finally opening up to him. “C-can I...”

 

“Of course, drawing as well,” said Magnus. “You can even draw something for your dad if you'd like,” went on by saying the man and that seemed to put Max in a better mood.

 

“R-really?” asked Max in awe and Alec chuckled at that. Honestly, he was speechless. Usually, it took Max a lot more than just that, so he was really surprised when he saw that he opened up so easily to Magnus. “Daddy, I want to stay here,” was what Max said next as he turned around to face his father. “Y-you'll come to pick me up, right?”

 

“Of course I will,” said Alec and smiled. It was always like that; Max always needed confirmation and he didn't mind giving him one. Also, he was still amazed with how good that went. “Now be a good boy and get ready, okay? Daddy needs to have a little talk with your teacher,” said Alec and earned a playful hum from the other male.

 

Magnus was then standing in the distance, but still close enough to hear the conversation and he just had to smile. Not only that Alec was beyond attractive, that was something that Magnus noticed immediately. But, he was also a good parent as he could see it; the relationship between Alec and Max was definitely strong and absolutely adorable. As Max started taking off his shoes, Magnus straightened himself up when he noticed Alec coming closer to him and he smiled.

 

“I want to thank you for being so patient with him,” said Alec and stretched the back of his head. “Honestly, I am amazed with how good things went,” he said quietly and smiled when he saw that Max looked at his way. “It's like you have magic or something,” blurted out Alec and Magnus chuckled.

 

“I must disappoint you, no magic,” said Magnus and smiled. “But I do love being a teacher and helping children,” he then added and Alec nodded, feeling his face heat up just a little bit when Magnus leaned closer.

 

“I must mention that Max is not like most children,” said Alec, knowing that it was crucial for Magnus to know. “He is not very good around strangers and prefers to be alone, so if he doesn't seem interested to play with other kids, or if he is too scared then-”

 

“I understand,” said Magnus softly. “I won't force him into doing something that he wouldn't like,” said the older one and chewed his lower lip. He then cocked his head when he saw worry in Alec's eyes as he was looking over to his son and Magnus sighed. “Relax, you worry too much. Everything is going to be okay. And if something does happen, the school will call you. If it makes you more comfortable, I could give you my number as well.”

 

“Y-Yeah, I'd like that,” said Alec, feeling at ease. After exchanging phone numbers with Magnus, Alec felt a lot better and he smiled when Max was finally done and sent him a small smile. The boy picked up his bag and carried it towards his dad and Mr. Bane, feeling how the nervous feeling from before and he groaned. He could feel his tummy hurting again and he looked up at his dad, who gave him a kiss on a cheek, before straightening himself up and he smiled warmly.

 

“I'll pick you around three o'clock, okay?” asked Alec softly.

 

“Okay, daddy,” whispered Max.

 

“Be a good boy and listen to Mr. Bane, understood?”

 

“Yes,” whispered Max and looked up at the other man, somehow not feeling as nervous as usual when he would meet a person that he didn't know.

 

“Good,” said Alec and with a heavy heart looked at Magnus one last time, before deciding that he should really get going. “See you soon, Max.”

 

“Bye, daddy,” whispered Max and watched his father leave. Once alone, Max looked down again and closed his eyes, squeezing his bag close to himself and started breathing faster. Magnus' heart dropped, but he didn't let that show on his face. Instead, he smiled when he saw Minions on Max's bag and he took the bag from the boy's hands.

 

“Do you like the Minions?” asked Magnus softly and that seemed to make Max feel at ease somehow.

 

“Yes,” he whispered and Magnus nodded.

 

“Which one is your favourite?” asked Magnus softly.

 

Max blinked a few times and nervously shifted from one leg to the other one. He then slowly pointed to one of the Minions on his bag and looked up at his teacher. “Bob,” he muttered slowly and looked down. Not many people around him knew about Minions, so the boy was surprised and happy when Magnus continued the conversation about the Minions.

 

“I see,” said Magnus. “I like Stuart,” he then added and chuckled when he saw that Max's face brightened just a little bit. “He's super cool.”

 

A giggle escaped Max's mouth and Magnus felt a huge weight lifting off of his shoulders. “Stuart's silly,” said Max then and giggled again.

 

“He really is, isn't he?” asked Magnus and laughed as well. When he was convinced that Max had calmed down enough, he decided that it was okay to take the boy into the classroom. “Now, how about we get into the classroom and you can tell me all about the Minions, okay?” asked Magnus and Max slowly nodded. “You can hold my hand if you're too scared,” went on by saying Magnus and Max nodded again, taking Mr. Bane's hand when it was offered to him, slowly following his teacher into the classroom.

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

A week later or so, Max had finally gotten used to going to preschool at least a little bit. He still didn't like it that Alec had to leave for work, but he understood it then that his dad left him there, because he needed to work, to earn money. And with that money, Alec promised to buy Max something nice, leaving the small boy absolutely excited. Alec was always showering Max with little gifts and attention, in a desperate need to make him forget about him past and he was happy to see that the other was making some kind of a progress. Also, he was beyond happy that his little son was put into such a lovely class, with such an amazing teacher. Honestly, Alec could go on and on about how great Magnus was and it was no secret that he fancied the man, that was something that Isabelle was able to find out pretty quickly, but never made a comment about it.

 

Currently, Alec was eating his breakfast, while Max was still asleep, and across of him was sitting his sister, who just came by to see how everyone was doing. She admired her big brother, he was able to take care of Max on all of his own and she could still remember the day that the man brought the boy home. All that she could see then from that point on in Alec's eyes was happiness and love for his son, and she couldn't be happier about it.

 

“So, what time do you finish work today?” asked Isabelle, who was slowly munching on a piece of toast that Alec prepared them to have for breakfast and the man frowned as he was counting the hours in his head.

 

“Around three,” muttered Alec and slowly sipped on his coffee. A smile spread across his face when the drink warmed him up and he hoped that it was going to wake him up as well. Not being able to work from home anymore started to have its toll on Alec, it was definitely something that he'd need to get used to and he yawned, covering his mouth with a hand. “Then, I'll go pick up Max and we can go do something if you're free like you said. I'm sure that Max is going to like it,” he then said and chuckled; Max liked his aunt Izzy a lot.

 

“Okay,” said Isabelle and nodded. After that, the two of them ate in silence, until Izzy broke it. “So how are things going with Max and preschool? The last time we spoke, you said that he is slowly opening up?”

 

“Kind of,” said Alec and scratched behind his head. “He is no longer crying when I leave and it looks like he is quite fond of Magnus as well, which is great. It seems that he is a really good teacher, because Max talks about him all the time at home.” Alec then made a short pause and frowned when he saw a smile tugging at Isabelle's lips, but he made no comment about that and then continued. “Finally, he has someone to talk about his obsession with Minions,” said Alec then and laughed. He then glanced at Isabelle who had that weird expression on her face and Alec scrunched his nose, not liking the way she was looking at him. “What?”

 

“It seems like he's not the only one who is fond of this Magnus that you speak of,” said Isabelle and playfully waggled her eyebrows.

 

“Oh shut up, Izzy. He's just Max's teacher, that's it. There's nothing-”

 

“If you say so,” said Isabelle and her laughter filled the kitchen when she saw how red her brother's face had gotten. Just as Alec was about to say something as a protest, the kitchen door slowly opened and Max slowly stepped inside. His hair was still messy, sticking out and Alec chuckled when he saw that his son was holding his precious plush toy in his arms.

 

“Morning, daddy,” said Max happily and rubbed his eyes, giggling when Alec scooped him up into his arms and kissed his temple, Max's giggling growing louder as his dad's hair tickled his cheek.

 

“Good morning, Max,” said Alec. “Did you sleep okay?” he then asked and Max nodded happily. It was only then that he noticed Isabelle sitting there as well and his eyes literally lit up when he saw his aunt.

 

“Aunt Izzy is here too?” asked Max happily and ran to her when Alec placed him back down onto the floor. “I came to see how you're doing, squirt,” she then added and ruffled Max's hair, who puffed his cheeks and started fixing his hair.

 

“I am not a squirt,” stated Max firmly. “I'm in school,” he then added and proudly patted his chest. “I'm a big boy. Right daddy?” asked Max happily and looked at Alec, who nodded.

 

“Two against one, huh? Not fair,” said Isabelle and pouted, making Max giggle in the process.

 

“Now then, how about breakfast?” asked Alec and Max nodded, he was starving.

 

* * *

 

 

Later that day, Max was peacefully sitting at the table, not minding his classmates as he was busy with his drawing for Alec. He decided to put extra amount of hard work that day, because he wanted to impress his father. Magnus was watching the kids play and was preparing for the latter activities, but he still kept an eye on Max, who looked like he was having fun. He then looked around the classroom and his smile widened; the classroom was full of children, who were currently playing and he couldn't hide his smile really. Being a preschool teacher was something that he always wished to be and he absolutely loved his job.

 

His eyes then travelled back to little Max, who for some reason wore a troubled expression on his face, so Magnus decided to check up on what was bothering the little boy. He got onto his legs and walked across the playroom, reminding some of the children not to shout so loud and then knelt next to Max, who quickly covered his drawing, in attempt to hide it from his teacher. He didn't want Mr. Bane to see it; it was meant for daddy. The funny feeling in his tummy returned and he groaned, wishing that Magnus would go away. Also, his dad and Mr. Bane were friends and Max didn't want Magnus to give his secret away to Alec.

 

“Is there something wrong, Max?” asked Magnus softly and then frowned, because Max ignored him completely. “Are you drawing this for your dad? Can you show me?” he tried again and felt helpless, because the boy just stared in front of himself. But in the end, Max slowly shook his head and Magnus smiled, happy to see that the other one was at least responding to his questions. “No?” asked Magnus and chuckled. “Well, I get it. You want to keep it as a secret for your dad, right?”

 

“Yeah,” muttered Max and chewed on his lower lip.

 

“I understand,” said Magnus softly and Max nodded, feeling a bit better. He liked Mr. Bane better than most people; he didn't push him into doing something that he didn't want to do. He seemed like a nice person. Probably. “I just came to check if you are feeling okay. It looked like you were having troubles with something. But if you don't want to tell me, you don't have to.” That was what Magnus said, but he still wished that the other one would open up to him a bit more. They were doing so well before.

 

For a few next moments, Max stayed completely silent as he started thinking about Mr. Bane's offer. The thing that had been bugging him before was related to the drawing. There was something that he didn't know how to draw and that was the reason he looked so down before. He wanted his drawing to be perfect for Alec. “If I show you my drawing,” started Max and Magnus arched an eyebrow. “Promise you won't tell my daddy what I drew?”

 

Magnus' heart melted at the boy's innocent words and he quickly nodded. “I promise, cross my heart,” said Magnus and made a cross sign across his chest. “Look, my mouth is sealed,” was what Magnus said next and closed his mouth, locking it and he then threw the imaginary key away, bringing out a smile on Max's face, which he was happy to see.

 

“You're funny,” said Max and giggled when Magnus stuck out his tongue.

 

Magnus patiently waited for Max to turn around his drawing and a smile tugged at his lips when he saw that Max drew his favourite Minion. It seemed that the boy really liked them, which was beyond adorable to the man and his smile widened when he saw _'For dad'_ written next to the drawing. The only strange thing to Magnus was that Max was using only a blue crayon for his drawing. “You already know how to spell, Max?” asked Magnus, quite surprised. As it seemed to the teacher, it really looked like Alec was trying his best to raise Max on his own. He knew that the man was a single parent, but that was it really. Other from that, Alec was still a complete stranger to Magnus.

 

“Yes,” stated Max proudly when he saw that he impressed Mr. Bane. “Daddy taught me.”

 

“I see. Well, you are very bright, young man,” said Magnus and Max smiled again. He liked that Magnus called him like that, it made him feel more grown up. “Now then, what seems to be the problem?”

 

“T-the eyes,” stuttered Max and pointed. “They look weird.”

 

“Hmm? They seem fine to me,” said Magnus. “But if you want to change a bit how they look... can I?” asked Magnus as he took the blue crayon into his hand, asking the boy for a permission to help him finish the drawing. Max slowly nodded and leaned forward, his big eyes getting huge once Magnus was done with drawing and Max smiled.

 

“Thank you, Mr. Bane.”

 

“Aren't you going to colour him?” asked Magnus curiously.

 

“No. I don't like other colours. Only blue,” explained Max and looked up at the man, who was quite surprised to hear that. “I-is that okay?” he then asked and that little stutter in his voice woke Magnus up from his day dreaming.

 

“Of course. You are the artist after all,” said Magnus and Max nodded happily.

 

* * *

 

 

Alec was finished with work a lot sooner that day than he expected to be, so he headed straight for the preschool. He knew that children were sleeping at that hour, but he didn't care. Somehow, he hoped that he would have a chance to speak with Magnus. It was an extremely silly idea, but he couldn't help himself really. Up until then, he didn't have a proper chance to talk with Magnus and it was true that a parent teacher conference was going to be soon, but that didn't matter at all. He wanted to know how Max was doing. Plus, maybe he'd get a chance to get to know the other one a little better.

 

Once he arrived to the preschool, he slowly stepped inside and just as he expected, the kids were asleep. Since the door had a glass in the middle, he could see inside of the classroom where Max was and he chuckled when he saw his son, soundly asleep, squeezing his plush toy close to his chest. The fact that he was able to fall asleep somewhere else than home and without him around, was like a miracle to Alec. Max was always afraid of unknown places as well, he said that they didn't make him feel safe. His eyes then travelled to Magnus, who was currently reading a book and watching over the kids. It was all thanks to that man and Alec knew that he needed to thank him properly, in person.

 

Magnus was reading a book as the children were asleep, until something distracted him. He could sense that someone was at the door and he chuckled quietly when he saw Alec peeking inside. It was an adorable sight to behold and it got even more adorable when the other one became aware that he was caught. Alec quickly stepped away and sat down, patiently waiting for children to wake up as he was trying to calm down his heart.  He felt so embarrassed that Magnus caught him staring like a complete freak and he sighed, shaking his head. Then, the door slowly opened and Magnus quietly stepped outside, slowly closing the door behind him and his smile widened when he saw that Alec's face was flushed.

 

“Hey,” said Magnus softly. “You're earlier than usual. Do you want me to wake Max up and take him home?” he then asked.

 

“No, no,” said Alec and shook his head. “It's nothing like that. I finished work earlier today and came here, because I had nothing else to do,” said Alec, straightforward as always, but then realised that he probably shouldn't be since Magnus softly laughed and he felt like a complete moron. It was funny how he could never really relax with Magnus around.

 

“Ah, I see,” said Magnus and sat down next to Alec, whose eyes widened. “Should I wait here with you, so that you don't get lonely?”

 

Alec's face flushed deeper and he cleared his throat. “No, it's okay. You have to watch the children anyway. I don't want to be in a way of your work.”

 

“They are sleeping, Mr. Lightwood,” said Magnus softly and Alec made a face when he was called like that. “Also, I can see them through the glass,” he then added and pointed to the door and Alec slowly nodded.

 

“Just Alec's fine.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“You don't have to be so formal, you can just call me by my first name,” said Alec. He didn't like it when people would call him Mr. Lightwood, it made him feel old. Besides, that was how people called his father. So, just Alec was fine. “Just Alec is completely fine.”

 

“Okay, as you wish,” said Magnus and the smile remained on his face. It was only then when he realised how attractive Alec really was. His dark hair looked amazing against his pale complexion and his eyes were to die for. Not to mention his long eyelashes. Alec noticed that Magnus' eyes were travelling up and down his face as he was trying to take everything in and Alec cleared his throat, feeling awkward.

 

“So, how are things going with Max?” asked Alec, which worked like a cold shower for Magnus as he was reminded that Alec was a parent, knowing that he needed to keep the relationship professional.

 

“We are slowly making some progress,” said Magnus and cleared his throat. “For example, today is the first day that he managed to fall asleep on his own like that. Usually, he was too afraid to do so, so he kept me company while the others were sleeping. Another thing that I've learned is that he really loves drawing,” said Magnus and Alec smiled, nodding. It was true, Max had always loved drawing, it helped his express his feelings and emotions when it was too complicated for him to use words. “And he is really good at it as well. You've got a talented son, Alec.”

 

Alec felt his stomach make a flop when Magnus called him by his first name and he wondered if it was really a good idea to have Magnus call him that. “I am glad that he is doing so well,” said Alec. “I was expecting it to go a lot worse. I am amazed that he was able to fall asleep here, on his own. He trusts you a lot and I am very thankful that you are being so patient with him.”

 

“You're giving me far too much credit. I am only a teacher and-”

 

“I mean it,” said Alec again and nodded, Magnus' heart filling itself with happiness and warmth. Knowing that he was able to help a child in need meant that he was doing his job correctly. “Thank you,” whispered Alec and Magnus chuckled.

 

“Max really is a bright little boy,” said Magnus. “Today I've noticed that he already knows how to spell and he said that you taught him that?” asked Magnus and Alec nodded proudly. “And he really likes Minions, doesn't he?” asked the older male, making Alec chuckle.

 

“He's obsessed with them, it's not even funny anymore,” said Alec.

 

“I think it's adorable,” said Magnus and leaned back, moving a bit closer to Alec. “I am really glad that he is slowly opening up to me. However, I would like him to play with other children as well. He is always playing alone and gets very anxious when someone approaches him,” said Magnus softly and Alec looked at him, but didn't say anything. “I won't push him into doing something that he'd hate, but I'd still want to encourage him to communicate with other children. If this is something that you agree on.”

 

“Of course, I'd love it if he would finally make a friend his own age,” said Alec.

 

“Was he always so easily scared?” asked Magnus suddenly and that was when Alec straightened himself up in his chair. “Or did something happen? Accident? Did you and your wife get a divorce?” asked Magnus then, but quickly realised that he had gone too far this time when he saw the look on Alec's face. He couldn't believe his own words as well and he quickly shook his head. He didn't even know what made him say that. He always wanted to help parents in need, but this wasn't the way to do it. One couldn't just go and stick his nose into other people's business. It was unprofessional.

 

“A divorce?” asked Alec, confused.

 

“No, no, you don't have to answer,” said Magnus quickly. “I shouldn't have asked anyway. I went too far, I apologise. Look, maybe it's for the best if I-”

 

“I adopted Max when he was 2,” said Alec and Magnus finally stopped talking, feeling how awkwardness fell between the two of them. “He has been battling with anxiety even before that,” said Alec then and shrugged. It wasn't something that he kept as a secret, so he had no problems telling Magnus that.

 

“I'm sorry, I had no idea that... I was in no place to ask something so personal and-”

 

“I don't mind,” said Alec and gave Magnus a small smile. “Max knows that he is adopted, but prefers not to talk about it, which is understandable. It's important for other people to know, at least this much. Sometimes it's better to know, just so that the child isn't confused.”

 

“You're right,” said Magnus and slowly nodded, still feeling horrible for his question before. He knew that it made Alec feel uncomfortable. “But still, I shouldn't-”

 

“I said it's okay,” said Alec and smiled. “Really, I mean it.”

 

Magnus was about to say something, but when he looked over to the kids, he noticed that some of them were starting to wake up and he quickly got up onto his legs. “I should go, they are waking up. I'll bring out Max when he wakes up, okay?” asked Magnus, his voice small and Alec sighed.

 

“Okay,” said Alec and nodded, watching Magnus going into the classroom as he patiently waited for Max to come out. It didn't take long the boy join him in the hallway and Alec chuckled when he saw a piece of paper in Max's hands. So, the boy drew him something as a present again. That warmed Alec's heart up again and he smiled widely when Max ran up to him, to give him a big hug.

 

“Look, look, daddy, I drew something. For you,” said Max happily and jumped excitedly when Alec took the drawing into his hands, Magnus' chuckling at the sight. He had never seen Max to be so excited before.

 

Alec's face was hurting from smiling too much; he let out a hitched breath when he saw _'For dad. From Max and Magnus'_ written on the drawing and his eyes widened when he saw Magnus' name written there. It must've been quite a thing that Magnus did, because Max never allowed other people to touch his drawings. “Thank you Max, it is a lovely drawing,” said Alec happily and Max's eyes lit up.

 

“Really? Mr. Bane helped too. See? I wrote his name too,” said Max and pointed to where the names were written.

 

“I see. Well, thank you.”

 

After that, Max started to get ready to go home and the smile remained on Alec's face as he continued to observe the drawing, his eyes focused on Magnus' name. Alec looked up, to thank Magnus, but he was disappointed to see that the man had already returned back to the classroom. He sighed and bowed his head.

 

Some other time then. Pity.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the lovely comments, I really appreciate it ^^  
> I hope you liked this chapter as well   
> Comments & opinions are well appreciated :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus and Alec are slowly getting closer ;)

Alec was currently sitting in a club and was bored out of his mind, the loud music in the club playing slowly driving him insane. It was a while since he had last gone out like that, to have a couple of drinks and to spend some time alone. Honestly, he didn’t like it one bit and he didn’t miss it anyway, so he didn’t see the point of going there. He would much rather be at home with Max and be doing something together with him. However, it was Isabelle, who convinced the young man that he should get out for a change and she even offered to babysit Max, who couldn’t be happier to spend some time alone with his aunt.

Izzy insisted that it was time that Alec met someone new, since it’s been a while that he was in a relationship, but Alec couldn’t be bothered about that. Relationships were something that he never managed to keep up with, there was too much work and time involved with being in a relationship. Also, now that he had Max with him, he didn’t one anymore, to be honest. All that he wanted to do was to peacefully raise up Max on his own, with the help of his friends and family.

Alec took his beer bottle into his hand and took a few sips of it, looking around the club in a desperate need to find someone familiar. In the past, he would usually visit the club with his brother, Jace, but after the other one got married, he didn’t have as much free time as he did before, which was completely understandable. Yet, he still wished that he had at least someone with him at a moment like that, he felt extremely silly to be sitting there all alone and he knew that he had to look pathetic and desperate the way that he was looking around. He cursed under his breath, he shouldn’t have listened to Isabelle. It was a mistake to come to the bar all alone. Plus, no one seemed to be interested into at least talking with him, not even the bar tender and he suddenly felt really tired.

Alec looked towards the dance floor and rolled his eyes when he saw the people dancing… if that could be even considered as dancing. People were literally just grinding against each other and Alec let out an annoyed groan. He was probably just bitter and jealous because he couldn’t get a boyfriend. Either way, he wasn’t having a good time, he felt so out of it. He didn’t belong into a place like that and in the end, he decided to leave the club after he’d finish his drink.

“Ah, this sucks,” whispered Alec and emptied the bottle, sighing. He took his phone out of his pocket, to see if he had any new texts or missed calls, but he was met with disappointment when he saw that no one appeared to be missing him. As he closed his texts, his smile widened when he saw the wallpaper of his phone. It was a picture of him and Max, the boy’s smile bright as ever and Alec’s mood brightened just a little bit.

He soon placed the phone back into his pocket and leaned forward against the bar, supporting himself on his elbow and then closed his eyes, listening to the loud music of the club. His peace was soon disturbed when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Since he was caught off guard, all of the colour drained from his face and he almost fell onto the floor. When he heard a soft laughter coming from his right, his face reddened with embarrassment and anger. He turned around, to face the idiotic creature that was laughing at him. However, he quickly closed his mouth and his eyes widened when he saw no other than Magnus standing behind him, the usual warm smile on his face.

“Magnus?” asked Alec slowly and frowned.

“Hey, Alec,” said Magnus happily, Alec’s heart hammering like crazy when the man offered him one of his warmest smiles. Once again, Alec was reminded just how much he came to like Max’s teacher even though he didn’t like to admit that to himself. “Funny running into you here,” he then added and chuckled when he saw that Alec was struggling to come up with something clever to say. It was really an adorable sight.

That evening, he had been observing Alec for quite some time, waiting to see if Alec was meeting with someone else. But as it turned out, that wasn’t the case and even though his mind was telling him that it wasn’t a good idea to get so chummy and friendly with children’s parents that he was teaching, he tried not to think of that too much. There was something about Alec that wouldn’t allow him to leave him alone and in the end, he decided to approach the younger male. “Cat got your tongue?” he then playfully asked, because Alec still wasn’t talking.

“What are you doing here?” blurted out Alec in panic, but then groaned when he realised it how it sounded. Luckily, Magnus didn’t seem to be offended by his stupid comment.

“It’s Friday evening, what do you think? Or do you also think that I live in preschool as well?” asked Magnus, teasing again.

“What?”

“According to Max, I never leave the school, it is my home,” said Magnus and chuckled, a smile cracking Alec’s serious expression as well. “I came with a friend, but she ended up ditching me,” he added and then sat down next to Alec, who also slowly sat back down, his eyes immediately travelling to the place where Magnus’ leg playfully bumped into his own. “Can I keep you company, or are you waiting for someone?”

“No,” said Alec quickly and rubbed his sweaty palms together, looking at Magnus, who arched his eyebrow as he was patiently waiting for Alec to continue. Alec’s eyes were fixed onto Magnus’ ones and he noticed that he was wearing makeup, which only made him all that more attractive under the dim lights of the club. Magnus noticed that Alec staring at him and he didn’t mind it one bit. In fact, he was doing the same. When Alec found himself to be staring at Magnus so bluntly, he quickly looked away and cleared his throat. “I, uh, I mean, I don’t mind you keeping me company and,” said Alec slowly, his face heating up. “And no, I wasn’t waiting for anyone.”

“Good,” said Magnus, pleased with the reply that he had gotten and ordered himself a drink. Alec was playing with the empty bottle and was wondering what to say next. However, since he knew himself how he was around people that he fancied and he didn’t want to make an ass out of himself in front of Magnus, he decided to stay silent for the time being. “Something the matter?” asked Magnus when he noticed the troubled expression on Alec’s face.

“Huh?”

“Oh, it just looked like something was troubling you,” muttered Magnus and sighed. He saw that his question made things awkward between them and he clicked with his tongue. “I apologise, I am a terribly nosy person. I really need to stop sticking my nose into other people’s business.” Magnus then quietly sipped on his drink once he received it and looked at Alec, who quickly shook his head.

“I don’t mind the questions,” said Alec and shrugged, not really getting it why Magnus was apologising again. He didn’t mind people asking him questions, he had nothing to hide and he always told it like it was. The truth. He didn’t like lying, plus, he was a terrible liar according to other people. “It isn’t really like me to go out to clubs, I much rather enjoy evenings in. Izzy, my sister, convinced me to go out, but it sucked,” said Alec and smiled.

“Sucked, as in past tense?” asked Magnus and his smile grew.

“Well, you are here now, Mr. Bane, to keep me entertained,” said Alec.

“Challenge accepted,” said Magnus quietly, but loud enough for Alec to hear it and he chuckled. Alec’s playful side was something new to Magnus, but it was a definitely a well appreciated thing. Then again, it was understandable, since the two of them only saw each other in preschool, where they had to keep things somehow professional, at least on Magnus’ side. However, now that it was just the two of them, in a club on a Friday evening, things were a lot different. “How long has it been? Since you were able to go out and relax like this?” suddenly asked Magnus.

“Long. Too long, in a way. Years,” said Alec and Magnus’ eyes widened just a little bit. It was true, after he adopted Max, Alec was on duty as a father 24/7, wanting to be around Max all the time, just in case he needed him. He knew that his other family member were always there to help Alec, but the young man was the type of a person that didn’t know how to ask other people for help. He didn’t want to depend on other people and be a burden for them. It was true that Alec’s social life was suffering due to that, but he didn’t mind paying that price if it was for Max, he was ready to give up everything for him. So, something like dating was completely out of question.

“Wow,” said Magnus, because he was shocked. Then again, Alec was a single parent, so that of course wouldn’t give him a lot of time for going out. “That really is too long. You need some time off, you know,” said Magnus and saw how Alec’s body stiffened up a little bit. “Going out every now and then isn’t going to hurt anyone, Alec,” he then said when he saw that the other must’ve been thinking that and he was right, that was exactly what Alec was debating with himself.

“I need to be there for Max,” muttered Alec and looked at Magnus, who sighed.

“And you are, you have always been there for him,” said Magnus and felt a bit stupid, since they knew each other only a few weeks. However, Magnus could tell it almost immediately which parents were there for their kids and which weren’t always there. “It might sound a bit stupid, because we have just met, but trust me. I know it when I see it, and you are an amazing father,” said Magnus. “I honestly don’t know how you manage having a full time job and being a single parent.” After that, Magnus stopped talking, because he knew that he said some things that were rather intimate, so he allowed Alec some time to process everything.

Alec stopped playing with the bottle as he carefully listened to everything that Magnus said and a faint smile appeared on his lips as he slowly nodded. Hearing a teacher say that was more than welcome to Alec, it felt good knowing that he was doing a good job with raising his kid. “Yeah, you’re right, I am pretty amazing,” muttered Alec after a while and bit into his lower lip as he tried not to smile too widely. “Also, I should have some fun once in a while.”

“That’s the spirit,” said Magnus and emptied his glass. “Now then, enough with the serious talk and let’s start having fun,” said Magnus and waggled his eyebrows as he looked at the dance floor, Alec’s body freezing when he figured out what the older one had in mind and he quickly shook his head.

“No, don’t you even think about it,” said Alec firmly. “No dancing.”

“Why not?” asked Magnus innocently. “Come on, it’ll be fun,” he then said and pouted when Alec shook his head in process.

“No.”

“Now I get where Max gets his stubborn side from,” teased Magnus and Alec pressed his lips together firmly.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“You worry far too much about what other people are going to think of you,” said Magnus and got onto his legs, grabbing Alec’s wrist in the process and he dragged him onto his feet as well. “You need to let go of that self-control that you are so desperately clinging onto and just for with the flow once in a while.”

“I get what you mean, but,” hissed Alec. “No. Not like this, I am not going to dance.” Alec frowned when Magnus chuckled and then without saying anything, he started dragging him towards the dance floor. “Magnus, no. _No!_ ”

“Oh, shush. And stop being a baby,” said Magnus and Alec took in a deep breath, tempted to smack the man’s hand away, but in the end did nothing and allowed himself to be dragged among a crowd of dancing people.

The song that was playing in the club was upbeat and Alec was miserable, the look on his face bringing out a smile on Magnus’ face as he guided him deeper among the crowd and Alec let out an annoyed groan when he was being pressed against someone. By then, Magnus had already let go of him, leaving Alec looking like a poor and lost puppy, searching for the man on the dance floor. It didn’t take them long to find each other, since Magnus was also searching for him and he waved to Alec’s direction, the younger one making his way closer to the man.

“Magnus,” whined Alec. “I can’t-”

“Stop saying that,” said Magnus, who was already moving to the rhythm of the music and Alec puffed his cheeks. “And just do it, don’t think about it too much.”

Alec tried to say something as a protest again, but in the end decided not to and listened to Magnus’ advice. It was true, he probably should have gone with the flow for a change, so he promised to himself that he would at least try to dance. Hoping that he didn’t look too stupid, Alec slowly started moving his body to the beat of the song and glanced at Magnus, who sent him an encouraging smile, which put Alec’s mind at peace for the time being and after a while he started having even fun. As he was starting to get a bit bolder with his dance moves, he bumped into a person behind him, who accidentally pushed him towards Magnus’ direction a bit too hard. As he bumped into the older male, Magnus chuckled at Alec’s clumsiness and caught him by wrapping an arm around his waist. He then quickly let go off the younger male and smiled when he saw the redness creeping onto Alec’s cheeks.

“Having fun?” asked Magnus.

“Yeah,” admitted Alec and looked down, but then back up into Magnus’ eyes and blinked a few times. As he kept on staring into the other’s eyes, the music changed, and much slower song started playing in the club. Some of the people walked away from the dance floor and mostly only couples were left there, awkward silence falling between Magnus and Alec.

“We should-”

“Now’s your chance to invite someone to dance with you,” said Magnus. “There’s a lot of girls that I’ve noticed that were looking over at you before and if you want, I could-”

“No,” said Alec quickly, too quickly.

“Well, if there’s someone that you fancy here, don’t let me stop you from dancing with them,” said Magnus and noticed how Alec made a big gulp. Someone that he fancied, huh? Alec’s eyes were fixated on Magnus and he opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. “You look nervous. There’s someone you like, isn’t there?” asked Magnus and started looking around.

“T-there is,” stuttered Alec and let out a hitched breath as he kept on looking at Magnus, his heart hammering against his ribcage.

“Really?” asked Magnus happily. “Who?” he then asked and started looking around again. He then looked at Alec, to see if the other was also looking for that person, but Magnus was surprised when he saw Alec stared directly at him. “Alec?” softly asked Magnus and then smiled when he finally realised it. It was him, wasn’t it? “Is it me?” asked Magnus carefully. Alec didn’t respond for quite some time, but his silence was enough to let Magnus know that it was the truth.

“Umm,” stammered Alec. “I, uh, look, it’s-”

“I understand,” said Magnus and smiled.

“I have to go,” said Alec suddenly and Magnus was a bit taken back. “Yeah, it’s late. I have to check up on Max and I need to-” he then started again, but his voice trailed off as Magnus stepped closer and gently removed some of the hair that was falling over his eyes. Alec dug his sweaty fingers into his jeans and let out a hitched breath when Magnus’ face was suddenly very close to his.

“Okay,” said Magnus and bit into his lower lip. He didn’t really want to end their conversation, but he didn’t want to seem pushy again as well. Besides, he would be able to see Alec soon. On Monday. “Thanks for hanging out with me for a bit. I had fun, we should do this more often.”

“Yeah,” said Alec and a smile tugged at his lips. “I had fun too.”

Magnus nodded and dragged his teeth over his lower lip as a smile remained on his lips. “Bye, then.”

Alec nodded as well and slowly turned away. “Goodbye, Magnus. See you soon,” he then added, before taking off.

As Alec left, Magnus slowly walked back to the bar, ordering himself another drink and he chuckled. Alec really was an interesting man and he definitely wanted to see more of him. With that on his mind, Magnus soon left the club, with Alec on his mind until the end of the night.


	4. Chapter 4

That day, wasn't Max's day. He was in a good mood when he came to preschool, but things soon turned south when Magnus tried to include the boy in one of the group activities. The man made all of the kids sit on the floor in a circle and Max at first didn’t protest the idea, because he didn’t know what Mr. Bane was going to make them do. However, when Magnus explained the idea of all of them sharing something about each other in front of the whole class, Max froze completely and he just wanted to disappear. All that Magnus wanted to do really was have the kids talk about things they liked; their toys or their hobbies, nothing special. The first idea was to have the kids talk about their families, but since he remembered that Max’s situation was a lot more complicated, he decided not to do that. So he chose talking about hobbies instead.

Max’s facial expression turned into a troubled one once Mr. Bane explained the ruled of his so-called _game_ and for the entire time, he kept looking away from the man. Up until then, Magnus didn’t include Max in group activities, because the boy always refused to do so and he didn’t want to pushy the boy too soon. However, now that he was with his class for the whole month, he decided that he had probably gained enough of Max’s trust to encourage him to do some things in a group. He had Alec’s consent and all that he wanted from Max was to open up to his classmates, just a little bit. He didn’t expect a miracle, he knew that he needed to be realistic and patient. It didn’t matter how long it was going to take, but he was determined to put a lot of his time and work into Max, because he didn’t want the boy to grow up being isolated from other people. It was a thing that he knew far too well about and he didn’t want Max to feel like that growing up as well.

Max, on the other hand, was angry with his teacher. He somehow felt betrayed and he slowly began to shut down as kids started explaining about their favourite toys and things that they liked to do with their parents. Max’s little body started shaking in fear and he felt that annoying feeling in his tummy that he didn’t like one bit. He twiddled his little fingers together and grabbed onto his Minion plush, squeezing it tightly against his chest. He didn’t want to talk in front of others. He didn’t get it why he had to talk about himself, why would Mr. Bane try to make him do something that he obviously hated?

When it was finally Max’s time to speak, all of the classroom became quiet and Magnus took in a deep breath when he saw the boy squeezing his toy close to himself, trying to make himself invisible. Magnus’ heart fell to the pit of his stomach, because Max looked terrified and he already knew that it wasn’t going to work out. However, just the fact that Max agreed to sit in a circle with everyone was a sign of improvement. His past experiences had taught him when the time to stop pushing was and he had reached it with Max at that exact time. If he was to push any further, he might risk making the things much worse than they already were. Because of this, he told other kids to go play, telling them that they were going to continue the exercise later, knowing that he needed to speak with Max alone. He needed to let him know that everything was okay.

“Shh, calm down, Max,” said Magnus softly and sat down next to the shaking boy and resisted the urge to hug the child. It killed him to see the other one in a state like that, but he knew that he needed to be patient. Changes weren’t going to happen overnight. He needed to be glad that Max was able to open up to him at least to that extent. “Everything is okay. If you are too scared, you don’t have to speak in front of everyone, okay?” he asked softly and sighed because Max was ignoring him.

“I-I don’t have to?” asked Max quietly and weight lifted off of his chest when he heard Magnus say that. His anger towards the man vanished into thin air and he slowly looked up, his eyes still full of fear, looking around the room and he frowned when he saw that his classmates weren’t sitting in circle anymore.

“No, it is completely fine,” said Magnus and scooted a bit closer to the boy. “You already made a lot of progress, you know?” asked the man and chuckled when he saw that the other one was staring at him utterly confused. Max didn’t get it, what did he do? What did Mr. Bane think when he said that? “What I mean is… when you first came here you were too scared to even go into the classroom, right?” asked Magnus and watched how Max nodded. He knew that he should explain in to him in a simple way, after all Max was only 5. “Well, today you were brave enough to sit with all of your classmates and you weren’t scared at all. Am I right?”

Max frowned and the frown between his eyebrows deepened when he continued to think about it. After a while, he kind of understood what Magnus was trying to tell him, so he slowly nodded and puffed his cheeks. “This is because I am a big and brave boy?” he then asked and a smile reappeared on Magnus’ face. He was glad that he was able to make Max calm down so easily, it would take him quite a while just a week ago. Even that alone was a huge progress.

“That’s it,” said Magnus. “Don’t tell the others, but in my opinion you are totally the bravest one in here,” he then said and even though he chuckled, he meant what he said. From what he knew about Max’s past, he knew that the boy didn’t have it easy, so he truly admired Max in a way.

“Really?” asked Max and his eyes literally lit up with proudness. Even though Max was really young, he was very well aware of the fact that courage was something that he lacked, so hearing Mr. Bane said that made him feel very happy.

“Really,” said Magnus then and Max happily giggled. However, his smile soon disappeared when he remembered what happened earlier. Apparently he wasn’t brave enough to speak in front of the other kids and Magnus became concerned when he saw the smile disappearing from Max’s lips. “Max?”

“I-I wasn’t brave before…” started Max and looked down.

“Oh, that? Don’t worry about it,” said Magnus and Max’s body tensed up. “Speaking in front of other people is very scary sometimes, Max, so it's okay. You will try it some other time,” he then said, but his words didn’t help at all.

“But others weren’t afraid,” muttered the boy and chewed on his lower lip.

“No, no, don’t think about it like that,” said Magnus, because it killed him to see that Max was already comparing himself to others at such young age. “Not all people are the same. Some people are good at speaking in front of others, and some are really good at drawing, like you,” said Magnus, Max’s eyes big eyes fixated on him as he was carefully listening to him. “And it is completely okay if you didn’t manage to do it on a first try,” he then quickly added. “This is another secret, but when I was your age, I was afraid of public speaking as well.”

“Public?”

“It means other people, speaking in front of other people,” explained Magnus patiently.

Max slowly nodded and a smile came upon his face when Mr. Bane shared another secret with him. That way, it was easier for him to trust his teacher and as he continued to talk with Magnus, the annoying feeling in his tummy disappeared. It also calmed him down to hear that Magnus used to have the same problem. “How do you become not afraid of it?” asked Max with a small voice and his serious question surprised even Magnus.

“With time and loads of practice,” was all that Magnus said and then sighed. “And even then there are days that I am still afraid.”

“ _You_ are afraid?” blurted out Max, much louder than before, causing some of his classmates to burst into laughter and Magnus smiled as well when he saw how surprised Max looked. He was precious, really. “Of what?”

“Oh, lots of things,” said Magnus and tried to think of some funny things to tell Max, so that he could bring out a smile on his face again. “I am afraid of the dark and, umm, frogs. Yeah, I really dislike frogs. Don’t you think they’re scary?” asked Magnus playfully and he could see that the fact that he was making fun of himself was starting to entertain the little boy.

“Frogs?!” asked Max and his giggling filled the playroom, Magnus’ heart filling itself with joy. “Frogs are not scary. They’re cute.”

“Cute?” asked Magnus and scrunched his nose. “Not really the word I’d use to describe them.”

“But they are not scary!” said Max and covered his mouth with his little hands, laughing out loud when Magnus puffed his cheeks and pretended to be sulking.

“Oh really?” asked Magnus. “I can’t believe it, I am being made fun of by a five year old!” whined Magnus and crossed his arms on top of his chest. One might call such a behaviour childish, but it was necessary to be able to get closer to children. Also, Magnus stopped caring what people thought of him years ago. “This isn’t fair.”

 “There, there, Mr. Bane,” said Max and stepped closer to Magnus. He then placed his tiny hand on top of Magnus’ head and patted his hair, as if he was trying to comfort him. As he did that, Magnus’ eyes widened and his body froze for just a second, his heart melting at the process as Max made a step back and looked at him. “It's okay.”

“I suppose so,” said Magnus and chuckled.

As Max stopped laughing, he looked around the room and he then took in a deep breath. To tell the truth, he wanted to make new friends, but he was just too scared to talk to other kids there. He heard others chatting about things he also liked and even though he wanted to talk with them as well, he didn’t have enough courage. Then again, Mr. Bane did call him brave earlier. “Mr. Bane?” asked Max slowly and gently tugged onto the sleeve of Magnus’ sleeve as he stood up.

“Yes?”

“I-Is it okay if I play with others?” asked Max slowly, but firmly.

Magnus was quite surprised by the question, but then realised that his words had an impact on Max and he nodded. “Sure you can,” said Magnus and then his eyes widened when Max reached up with his hand.

“Can you hold my hand?” asked Max softly when he remembered how holding Mr. Bane’s hand made things less scary on the first day of preschool. He was scared this time as well, but he trusted his teacher.

That little and innocent question brought tears to Magnus’ eyes. He bit down onto his lower lip, because it made him incredibly happy to see just how much Max trusted him and he slowly nodded. “Yeah, of course Max,” said Magnus and took Max’s little hand into his own one.

 

* * *

 

Alec cursed when he looked at the clock. He was running late, because he was held at work and he was sick with worry. He knew how much it meant to Max for him being there to pick him up on time. And he always came at the promised time, but this time he couldn’t hold onto the promise that he gave to his son and he was devastated. When he finally reached the preschool, he was headed straight to the classroom where Max was supposed to be in, but cursed when he saw that it was empty. Just as he was about to give into his worries, he remembered that at a time like that, teachers usually took the kids out to the playground and he was right.

When Alec stepped outside, he soon found the group of children playing on the playground, but was utterly confused when he couldn’t find Max. He expected the boy to be somewhere alone and after he couldn’t find him, his eyes quickly located Magnus, who was sitting on the bench with other teachers. When Magnus noticed that Alec was there, he was on his legs almost immediately and he quickly made his way to the younger man, who looked worried.

“Where is Max?” asked Alec.

“Over there, playing with others,” said Magnus and pointed to the group of children, which were playing on the swing set.

Alec narrowed his eyes and when he finally located his son, a huge weight was lifted off of his chest. Wait, what? Max was playing with others? “He’s playing with others?” asked Alec in disbelief and blinked a few times. “Wait, what? How did you-”

“This was all him,” said Magnus softly and looked at Alec. “I might have pushed a bit too far at first… I tried to include him into a discussion with other children, but that failed. However, we then had a little chat and he managed to calm down. After that, he asked me if it was okay to play with others. At first, he needed me there for a few moments, but now… look at him,” said Magnus and smiled as he looked at Max, who was happily running around.

“You’re amazing,” blurted out Alec and Magnus arched an eyebrow. When he realised that he said that out loud, Alec stopped talking and then looked down as his face burned with embarrassment. But he meant what he said, Magnus was amazing with Max. “I, uh, I meant that you are amazing with Max,” stammered Alec. “And in general as well,” he quickly added.

“Do go on, Alec,” said Magnus playfully and even though he wanted to step closer to the younger male, he managed to keep his distance. After that day in the club, they haven’t had a chance to meet in person like that again, which was pretty devastating. Magnus definitely wanted to hear all about how much Alec liked him.

“Some other time,” said Alec. “I don’t want it to get into your head,” he then added playfully and Magnus chuckled.

“Some other time? What about tomorrow?” asked Magnus slowly, hoping that he wasn’t taking it too far. “Let’s say around 7?” he then added, half joking, but there was some seriousness in his voice as well. Keeping things professional or not, he still wanted to get to know Alec better.

Alec’s jaw dropped when he heard those words coming out of Magnus’ mouth and he cleared his throat. Was Magnus Bane asking him out? That couldn’t be it, could it? “Are you asking me out?” asked Alec quietly, so that other people wouldn’t hear him.

“No, I am asking you if you are free for a parent teacher meeting,” said Magnus and rolled his eyes, but then chuckled when he saw the confusion on Alec’s face. “Of course I’m asking you out,” he then said, this time quieter as well, but since they were standing so far from others, there was very little chance that they could be overheard by someone else.

“Ah, I see,” said Alec and puffed his cheeks, his heartbeat fastening a bit. He still hasn’t gotten used to how straightforward Magnus was. Then again, he wouldn’t mind hanging out with him again. Last time at the club, he had a good time with him. “Maybe, if I’ll have the time,” he then said and Magnus smiled.

“Just send me a text if you’re interested,” said Magnus when he remembered that he gave Alec his phone number on the first day that they met. Alec slowly nodded and even though he was tempted to say that he was very much interested, he managed to keep his tongue behind his teeth that time. “Good,” said Magnus.

“Now then,” said Alec and cleared his throat. “It’s best if I go and get Max,” said Alec and Magnus nodded, watching how Alec left first, but he was right behind him.

Max was beyond happy to see his dad and he happily ran towards him, explaining on his way home how Mr. Bane told him that he was the bravest one in the class and was going on and on about how Magnus disliked frogs. Alec stayed silent throughout the entire way back home and listened to Max’s rumbling about Magnus, which he of course didn’t mind one bit, since Magnus was on his mind as well.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all of your support, it means a lot ^^  
> Also, there might be a lot of mistakes in this chapter, but I had a long day in university and I am too tired to reread the chapter at the moment ^^;  
> Comments & opinions are well appreciated, thank you xxo


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First date ^^  
> I hope you like it :P

Alec was currently standing in his bedroom and was watching himself in the mirror, making sure that he looked okay. It was a few days later, since Magnus had invited him out, and it took Alec a bit to gather enough courage to finally text the man. He was kind of surprised, to be honest, he thought that Magnus would contact him earlier, but he didn't receive any texts from the older male. The reason was probably that Magnus didn't want to be seen as too pushy and Alec understood that. So, after finally contacting Magnus, they made plans to meet up at the club where they met the last time.

Alec pushed his lips together and took in a deep breath, because he was nervous. It had literally been years since he was out on a date and even then he sucked at dating people. Alec didn't want to mess things up this time as well, not with Magnus. Magnus was an amazing person and the last thing that Alec wanted was to screw something up. He had spent about an hour preparing for the date, even though he himself didn't know if he could call it a date or not. He wanted to believe that it was a date, so he decided to call it like that.

A small smile spread across his face as he continued to observe himself in the mirror and he then chuckled. He was definitely looking forward to the date, his heart jumping just a little bit. He wondered if he looked okay; he was wearing black ripped jeans, a tight blue shirt and a black leather jacket. It wasn't something that he would usually wear, but Isabelle had convinced him that he would look great in them. As it turned out, Izzy was right, as usual. When he was done with the clothes, he went into the bathroom and quickly combed his messy hair, puffing his cheeks when he was finally done. After that, he went into the living room, where Max and Isabelle were, currently playing with Max's cars.

When he stepped inside the living room, the other two quickly looked into his direction and Isabelle let out a playful whistle, which was followed by a sly smirk on her lips and Alec rolled his eyes. Max, on the other hand, was just looking at his dad, who for some reason looked more handsome than usual. He was wearing expensive looking clothes, which was enough to let the boy know that his dad was going somewhere.

"You look handsome, daddy," exclaimed the boy and Alec chuckled and walked closer to his sister and son. "Did aunt Izzy give you these clothes?" he then asked curiosity, because he knew that Isabelle was usually the one with nice clothes. Not that Alec didn't own nice clothes, but aunt Izzy was an expert when it came to dressing up.

"He does, doesn't he?" asked Isabelle and chuckled when Max asked about Alec's clothes. It was true and it was beyond funny to her that even a 5 year old knew just how much Alec's fashion sense sucked. "And yes, I made him wear that," said Isabelle proudly. "He looks much better, right?"

"Yes," said Max, but then quickly added, "But you look good in your clothes as well, daddy."

Alec glared at Isabelle, who came over to babysit Max as he was going out Magnus, and then sighed. Alec sat down on the floor, next to Max, who quickly climbed into his lap and a smile tugged at Alec's lips as Max handed him one of his cars. "Want to play with me and aunt Izzy?" asked Max. "We are playing race. I have already won three times," stated the boy proudly.

"Yes, I am no match for you, squirt," said Isabelle and sighed, looking over at Alec, who slowly nodded in agreement. He still had some time until the date, so he decided to play with the other two. Plus, maybe a game with Max would maybe put an end to his nervousness.

"This sounds like a challenge," said Alec and took the car into his hand and Max quickly climbed off of Alec and started preparing for the race. "I will revenge my sister, so be prepared. I will win," said Alec and Max giggled.

Then, the race around the living room began, but didn't last very long because Alec soon lost the game, on purpose of course, and as Max was busy celebrating his victory, Alec sat down to Isabelle, who scooted closer to her big brother and smiled. Alec frowned when he saw the expression on Izzy's face and sighed, knowing that she would probably start asking him questions. And he was right.

"So, where is he taking you?" asked Isabelle.

"I don't know yet," said Alec and shrugged. "All I know is that we are meeting at the club from before."

"He isn't going to pick you up here?" asked Isabelle and pouted. She had heard so many things about this Magnus, both from Alec and Max, but she still hadn't had the chance to meet the man. It wasn't fair to be honest.

"You are going to meet him eventually," said Alec and chuckled when he saw that Isabelle was sulking. "Besides, if he came here, you'd start interrogating him and we wouldn't go anywhere," said Alec, only teasing of course.

"Oh, shush," said Isabelle, but the smile remained on her lips. Even though she wasn't going to meet Magnus that day, she was happy for both Max and Alec. She really was. Since happiness was difficult for Max and Alec to find, she was beyond happy that this amazing man walked into their lives.

Alec then looked at the clock and realised that it was the time for him to leave if he wanted to come on time. Because of that, he slowly got onto his legs and straightened his clothes, taking in a deep breath. Isabelle's smile widened when Alec stood up and so did she, patting her brother on the back when she saw that the other one seemed nervous. On the other hand, she couldn't really blame him. There were not many people that Alec allowed to step into his life, so seeing that he had agreed to go on a date with Magnus so quickly, just showed how precious the man was to Alec. 

"Calm down, big brother," said Isabelle and chuckled. "Like always, you worry too much. I am sure that you two are going to have a great time, no matter what," she than added and Alec slowly nodded, knowing that Isabelle was right. He knew that he should loosen up, just like Magnus said that night in the club, so that was why he agreed to the date without thinking about it too much.

"Where are you going, daddy?" asked Max when he saw that his father appeared to be going somewhere and he nervously walked closer, not liking it when Alec left without telling him where he was going. “Are you going to be back soon?” was another question and Alec slowly nodded.

"Yes, I am going to come home soon. Until then, aunt Izzy is going to be with you, okay?" asked Alec and Max nodded, not really minding spending time with Isabelle. But the frown remained, because Alec didn't respond to his first question and Alec immediately noticed what was bothering the little boy. He didn't know what to do really. If he told Max that he was meeting Magnus, then the other would probably want to know why. And Alec wasn't sure if he was ready to tell his son that he liked his teacher in _that_ kind of way. Alec had told Max long time ago that he happened to like guys and Max didn't really mind that. But since he didn't know if his relationship with Magnus was going to be serious or not, he was torn. However, in the end, he decided to tell the truth, because he didn't like lying to Max. “I am going to be hanging out with Mr. Bane.”

"Mr. Bane?" asked Max and his eyes literally lit up when the man's name was mentioned. “Can I come too, daddy? Please, I wanna go and see Mr. Bane as well,” he then added and Isabelle laughed quietly.

"You two are totally smitten by him, it's unbelievable," said Isabelle and Alec pressed his lips together.

He then looked at Max, who was still waiting for an answer from his dad and he sighed. Max looked so excited and just the thought of telling Max that he couldn't go with them made Alec feel uneasy. “Not this time, Max,” said Alec slowly and Max's eyes widened. “Oh, don't look like this,” he then said and sighed. “I'd love to take you with us, just not this time. We are, uh,” started Alec and then looked at Isabelle for help, not really knowing how to continue from there. “We have some things to discuss and-”

"Adult, boring stuff?" asked Max and rolled his eyes when Alec quickly nodded. Now that he heard that, he wasn't so sure if he wanted to go with them anymore. Staying at home with aunt Izzy and playing race with her seemed more interesting to the boy. “Adults are so boring,” muttered Max. “You can go, daddy. I'll stay here with aunt Izzy, she is more fun.”

Alec chuckled and shook his head, but didn't make a comment about that. He placed a hand on top of his son's head and gently ruffled his hair. “Good boy,” he then said and Max quickly nodded, pleased with the praise. “Now then, I should really get going,” said Alec and rubbed his palms together.

"Okay," said Max. “Bye, bye, daddy,” was the last thing that Max said to his father, before walking back to his toys.

"Yeah, good luck," said Isabelle and walked Alec to the door. “Don't stay out too late,” she then said and laughed when Alec groaned.

"Yes, mom, I'll be home at a reasonable hour," said Alec with a smile and then finally left his apartment.

* * *

 

Magnus glanced at his watch again and nervously shifted from one leg to the other one. He was waiting for Alec in front of that club for quite some time and the other one still didn't show up. It was true that Magnus came a lot earlier, but he kind of hoped that Alec was going to come early as well. However, now it was even past the time that they decided to meet at and Magnus was growing impatient. He took the phone into his hands, just to see if the other man called or texted him, but he placed the phone back into his pocket when he saw that Alec didn't contact him. Now, what? Was he stood up by Alec? That was something that he didn't want to believe.

Alec was a lot like Max, he needed some time to open up to people and let them inside. Magnus really thought that he was able to bring those walls that Alec had built around himself down, just a little bit, but now he wasn't so sure anymore. Magnus sighed and leaned against the wall of the club and started looking around, narrowing his eyes when he noticed someone running into his direction. He soon recognised the person, it was Alec. That made all of the previous worries disappear and he quickly straightened himself up when Alec was pretty close to him. A smile spread across his lips as he laid his eyes upon Alec and he walked to his direction.

Alec was late, he knew that he was. That was the reason why he was running and he was hoping that Magnus wasn't going to be too annoyed once he got there. When he saw the man in the distance, he started running faster and when he finally reached him, he stopped and allowed himself to catch his breath for a few moments, before he looked up.

"Hey, Magnus," said Alec as he was still catching his breath and then he ran fingers through his hair, ruining what was left of his 'hair style'. “I am so sorry for being late,” he then added and walked closer to the man, who wasn't saying anything. Magnus was just standing there and... staring.

Now that they were finally alone, Magnus allowed himself to take all the time that he needed to look at Alec. The fact that he was dressed into different clothes from usual definitely didn't go unnoticed from his eyes and he had to admit that Alec looked amazing in that leather jacket and ripped, black jeans. Alec's jacket was unzipped, so his eyes focused on the tight, blue shirt underneath it, which did wonders for Alec's body. Even though the younger male was still wearing the jacket, he could see that Alec had well-toned, muscular body. It took Magnus quite a few moments to stop staring and when he was finally brought to reality, he could see that Alec's face was already red.

"Sorry for staring," said Magnus and then cleared his throat. “I just couldn't help myself really,” he then added.

"Are you always so straightforward?" asked Alec awkwardly and his whole body heated up when Magnus said that.

"Do you dislike straightforward people?" asked Magnus, amused.

"No," was Alec's quick reply and the corners of Magnus' lips curled up, forming a tiny, but satisfied smirk. “Not at all.”

"Good," said Magnus and then walked past Alec, the other one right behind him. “Now then, should we go inside?” he asked and pointed to the club, Alec scrunching his nose almost immediately. He definitely didn't want to spend their first date in there. He wanted to go somewhere where it was quieter, so that he could finally have a proper talk with Magnus. “Or we can go somewhere else,” added the older one quickly when he saw Alec's unamused face and he then remembered Alec saying that he wasn't too fond of that club.

"Yeah, let's go somewhere else," said Alec and nodded in agreement. “We could go to the bar where I usually go when I want some peace. It is just around the corner, so if you'd like, we can-” stammered Alec nervously and Magnus quickly nodded.

"I'd like that, yes," said Magnus.

After that, the two of them made their way to the bar that Alec was talking about. They walked in silence and then quickly sat down, ordered their drinks, again in complete silence. Magnus opened his mouth to start the conversation, but then stopped himself when he saw that Alec seemed to be thinking about something. A frown formed between Magnus' eyebrows and it honestly looked like Alec didn't want to be there. However, he was quickly reminded what Alec said to him before, he said that it had been years still he had gone out. So, maybe it had been years as well when it came to dating other people.

"You're awfully quiet today," said Magnus slowly and Alec looked up. Before, he was busy with thinking about what he should say or do, but couldn't come up with anything. “Again, you're thinking too hard, loosen up,” went on by saying the older one.

"I... just don't know what to say," stammered Alec and sighed. “I'm not good with this... people, dating, relationships,” admitted Alec and looked up at Magnus, who was patiently listening to him. "I've messed things up before and I really don't want to mess something up this time."

"I understand," said Magnus softly and thanked the waitress when she brought their drinks. He then slowly sipped on his drink and made a short pause, knowing that Alec's eyes were on him, even though he wasn't looking at him at the moment. **"** But don't we all make mistakes? It's what makes us human, **"** Magnus and smiled. "You want to be perfect, but no one is. With this you are only making things harder for yourself."

"I..." started Alec and sighed. “That's true, you're right."

"Of course I am," said Magnus proudly. "I am amazing, after all."

 "Well, aren't you a humble one," teased Alec and received a gentle nudge of Magnus' leg against his own under the table.

"Your words, not mine," said Magnus and bit into his lower lip when he saw Alec choke on his drink. He leaned back against his chair and tried not to smile too widely when Alec struggled to say something and his heart melted when the younger male gave up with an annoyed groan and he looked down. "Adorable," said Magnus under his breath, but loud enough for Alec to hear it as well.

That comment made Alec’s face heat up even more and he quickly emptied his glass and took in a deep breath, trying to continue the conversation without being too awkward. "Hey, Magnus?" he then asked as an important question popped into his mind. He needed to know how serious Magnus was about this; it was true that the man was flirting back, but Alec needed to know. If it was just him, then it wouldn’t matter that much. But he had Max with him this time, so he knew that he needed to be careful before jumping into another relationship, if it wasn’t going to work out, it wouldn’t just affect him.

"Hmm?"

"I need to ask something," said Alec and made a short pause. "How serious do you want this to be? Y-you know… our relationship," stammered the young man and then stopped. He didn’t even knew how to call it, they weren’t even in a relationship, yet. Ah, it was really confusing

"Well, I didn’t invite you out just for a fling, Alec,” said Magnus and Alec looked at him, wondering if he had made the man angry. The man sounded offended, because he kind of was. He didn’t know what was going on inside of Alec’s head, but if the other one really thought that he wasn’t being serious, then he was seriously going to smack Alec for being so dense.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” said Alec and pressed his lips together, realising it only then how it sounded. “I just need to know, before I get too serious about it. If I allow myself to fall for you even more, I need to know,” whispered Alec and then looked up at Magnus, who let out a hitched breath and he then smiled. He was reminded how fragile Alec really was, he had completely opened up to him and Magnus respected him for that.

"I definitely want to see more of you, and get to know you better. I really do like you quite a lot, Alec. Not to mention Max as well, you two are both very precious to me, so I want this to work out. We don't have to rush into anything, we have all the time we need. If you feel we're moving too fast, we can slow down, we don't have to put any labels on our relationship yet. I am a patient man, Alec, so don't fill your pretty little head with useless worries. Useless worries will just bring you useless pain," said Magnus after a while.

“Thank you for being so understanding,” said Alec and a weak smile spread across his face.

After that, they spend a few more minutes talking about random things, getting to know each other a little bit better. However, as some more time passed, Magnus decided that it was time to leave the bar and Alec went on by agreeing with him. Since they didn’t know where to go next, they decided to just wander around the town; not that it mattered really to either of them. Just being with each other, alone, was more than satisfying.

“So, how are you enjoying the date so far?” asked Magnus after a while and Alec looked to his right, where Magnus was walking.

“One of the best dates that I’ve ever been to, to be honest,” said Alec and chuckled. “I managed not to screw something up,” he then went on by saying. “I’m really glad that I gathered enough courage to finally send you that text. You don’t know how long it took me.”

“Don’t tell me… for those four days you were constantly thinking about the date and me?” asked Magnus and his heart warmed up when Alec nodded. It made him incredibly happy to hear that. “You’re precious, do you know that?” Alec didn’t make a comment about that, but he was secretly screaming inside when Magnus said that.

As they continued to walk around the city, Magnus looked down and gently brushed the back of his hand against Alec’s. At first, the younger one didn’t think of it too much, but as Magnus did that again, Alec looked down as well and his heart was hammering hard against his ribcage as Magnus wrapped his index finger around his own one. They weren’t even properly holding hands, but it was enough to make Alec’s heart beat with the speed of light and Magnus’ one wasn’t that far behind. That send shivers up Alec’s spine, but he didn’t remove his hand away and allowed Magnus to swing their hands between them as they continued to walk and chat.

As some more time passed, Alec finally decided that it was time for him to be getting home, even though he didn’t want their time together to end. He allowed Magnus to walk him back home when the other one asked him if it was okay and as they reached Alec’s apartment, Magnus finally let go off of Alec’s hand, looking into the younger’s eyes.

“I had a really good time tonight, Alec,” said Magnus softly and stepped closer. He then stepped closer and again removed some of the hair that was annoyingly falling over Alec’s beautiful eyes. “I hope we can soon do this again,” he then added.

“Yeah, I also had a great time,” stammered Alec and his eyes grew huge when Magnus came really close with his face to his. Expecting a kiss, Alec closed his eyes slowly. Magnus, on the other hand, chuckled when he saw that reaction and in the end kissed Alec’s cheek, though he knew that the other one was expecting a different type of kiss. But in the end, it didn’t really matter.

“Good night, Alexander,” whispered Magnus, before he finally left.

“’Night.”

Alec spend a few extra minutes outside and when he was going up to his apartment, he felt as if he was floating. When he stepped into his apartment, he narrowed his eyes when he saw Isabelle standing next to the window with a huge grin on her face. “So, I assume things went well?” she asked, wanting to hear all details.

“You were watching us just now?” asked Alec in disbelief.

“Of course,” she said and rolled her eyes. “Now tell me. Everything.”

“Fine,” was what Alec said in the end, knowing that Isabelle probably wouldn’t stop bugging him if he refused to tell her what she wanted to hear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading ^^  
> Comments & opinions are well appreciated :)


	6. Chapter 6

Max was sitting at his usual table and was happily giggling as he was drawing something. Magnus was keeping an eye on him, but since the boy told him that whatever he was drawing was supposed to be a surprise for him, he decided not to go closer to the boy. Instead, he was helping out some other children, but the smile on his face was bright at the thought of Max drawing something especially for him. Max was turned away from Magnus, so that he could kept his drawing hidden better from the man’s eyes and he giggled again, quite liking his plan.

The thing that he was drawing was a frog and he giggled again when he thought of the face that Mr. Bane was going to make. He had told him that he didn’t like the frogs and Max’s plan was to tease his teacher just a little bit. His cheeky side was starting to come out more and more around Magnus and the man noticed that as well. A once quiet and shy boy was becoming more and braver and more talkative, which was a nice change really. However, Max’s good mood didn’t last long, because he was soon interrupted by one of the boys that he wasn’t too fond of. The boy’s name was Richie and just thinking about him made Max feel uncomfortable. So, when the blonde boy sat down next to him, Max’s body tensed up and he quickly turned his drawing away, not wanting to show the other one what he was drawing. He knew that Richie would make fun of him, like he did with his classmates.

“What are you drawing?” asked Richie and pointed to the drawing that Max was holding close to himself. When he was asked about the drawing, Max quickly turned around and took in a deep breath and tried his best to ignore the boy, but that wasn’t possible, because more questions started coming. “Can you show me?” was the next question and Max quickly shook his head. “Why not?”

“The drawing’s for someone important,” was Max’s only reply and he then closed his eyes, trying to block out the other’s presence. He glanced at Mr. Bane, who was still helping out his classmates and even though he wanted to call out for the man’s help, he stayed silent when he saw that the other one was already busy.  “C-can you please go away?” asked Max and tried to sound as polite as he could at a situation like that. Richie never bothered him prior to that, but he had seen him picking on his other classmates and he didn’t want something like that to happen to him.

“No,” said the other boy stubbornly. “You’re weird.”

“Am not,” whispered Max and felt that annoying feeling coming back into his tummy. It had been quite a while since he had last experienced it and he really thought that he was cured. However, now that it returned, he just wanted to cry. He looked at Richie, but then quickly looked away, because he didn’t like that the blonde boy was looking right back at him. “I am not weird,” he whispered and his heart fell to the pit of stomach.

“You are,” stated Richie. “And your family is also weird,” added the boy.

That comment struck right into Max’s little heart and he closed his eyes tightly. A few days ago, Magnus asked the class to draw their families and surprisingly Max drew his as well. Since he only drew himself and Alec, a lot of kids didn’t understand it, because something was missing… a mother. Magnus tried to explain, but the look on Max’s face was enough to let him know not to push it, so he didn’t. At that time, Max was proud of his drawing and he didn’t know why others found it weird.

“M-my family isn’t weird,” whispered Max and glared at the other boy. “My daddy’s the best dad in the world,” he then added angrily and pressed his lips together.

“Where’s your mommy?” asked Richie firmly and crossed his arms on top of his chest and frowned. He really didn’t get it how could Max call that a family. In a family, a person had two parents; a mom and a dad. “So, that isn’t a real family. It’s weird.”

When his mother was mentioned, Max froze and completely shut down as fragments of memories about his biological mother and father started flashing in front of his eyes. He didn’t remember much of his time before Alec; how could he, he was too young. However, he could remember hearing yelling and being scared all the time. To Max, those two people weren’t his real family. His family was Alec, his aunt Izzy, uncle Jace and other members of Alec’s family.

Magnus soon noticed that something was off when he couldn’t hear Max’s happy laughter and as he turned around, he was right about his hunch. As Max was sitting on his chair and squeezing the drawing close to his chest, the other boy was saying something that was obviously making little Max upset. He stepped closer to the boys and knelt next to them, to see what seemed to be the matter and it didn’t take him too long to find out what was going on between the two of them.

“Boys, what’s the matter?” asked Magnus softly.

“He said that I’m weird,” said Max almost immediately and moved closer to Magnus. “He said that me and daddy aren’t a real family,” he then added and looked at the man for help.

When Magnus heard Max's words, he made a pause before speaking because he knew that he needed to be careful what to say next in front of the children. Especially, because he didn't know the whole story about Max, before Alec adopted him, so he was kind of torn. He knew that he needed to explain to the other boy that there were different kinds of families; not only mother and father was what made a family 'real'. Then again, he understood the blonde's confusion, he was so young, so of course he wouldn't understand. Magnus looked at Max, who was carefully looking at him and in the end explained to the other boy that there were different types of families in the world. He explained it to him in a simple way, so that the boy understood and in the end, he ended up apologising to Max for calling his family weird. Magnus was quite pleased with how things ended, but then worries returned when he saw that Max was just silently sitting on his chair and seemed to be troubled with something.

“Max?” asked Magnus softly and sat onto the floor. “Did I say something weird before?” he then asked and then frowned when Max silently shook his head, making the man even more confused that he already was. “Then, why are you looking so down? Is something bothering you? You know, you can tell me everything, right?” was Magnus' next question and Max finally looked at him, his big eyes filled with tears.

Max didn't respond to the questions, but his lower lip trembled which was enough to let Mr. Bane that something was really wrong. Max didn't want to be there at the moment, he would much rather be at home and talk to his dad about what was bothering him. Mr. Bane always knew what to do or say, but this time he wasn't so sure if that was the case. As Magnus was explaining to the blond boy what being a family truly meant, he didn't mention anything about families where children were adopted. Max was very well aware of the fact that Alec wasn't his biological father, but he cared for him better than his biological mother and father did. He didn't want to consider those horrible people as a family, he didn't like them. After going to live with Alec, they tried to interfere with their lives, but Alec ended up reporting them to the authorities and after that, they were finally gone from their lives for good. Alec made sure that that was something that Max agreed on as well and after seeing his dad being threatened by those horrible people, he quickly agreed to that.

“I wanna go home,” whispered Max, his voice barely audible and then swallowed back his tears, moving himself further away from Magnus when the other one tried to pat him on the head and the man's heart sunk to the pit of his stomach. He was used to children not wanting to talk to him about their problems, but it still hurt when a child would refuse his help. Also, even though he didn’t want to admit it, Max was a bit more important to him than most children, so it hurt that much more. “C-can you please call daddy?” was Max’s next question and Magnus bit into his lower lip, knowing that Alec was in the middle of an important meeting, which wasn’t going to end any time soon.

“I spoke to your father this morning and he said that he has an important meeting today,” said Magnus, pressing his lips together. “He’s gonna come a bit later than usual today as well. But, he told me that you knew and that it wasn’t going to be a problem?” asked Magnus, kind of worried by that point that Alec might’ve forgotten to tell Max that and both of them knew how the boy got when he didn’t know that Alec would come to pick him up a bit later.

Max narrowed his eyes and then his lower lip started trembling again when he remembered that his dad did mention something like that in the morning, but Max paid no attention to it, since he didn’t mind spending time with Mr. Bane. However, he then had a complete change of heart and all that he wanted to do was to go home. Max firmed loose fists with his hands and looked down, slowly nodding. “Y-yes, he said that,” whispered Max and Magnus nodded as well.

Magnus sighed and then placed a hand on top of the boy’s head. Max didn’t mind in that time, but he still wouldn’t look at his teacher. He didn’t even know it why, but he was angry with Mr. Bane and even though the man wanted to talk about it, he didn’t want to. “Max, you can tell me what’s bothering you. I’ll try to help you and-”

“I don’t wanna,” muttered Max and Magnus’ heart grew heavy.

“Okay, you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” said the man, but the way that he said it made it clear to the little boy that Mr. Bane was lying. Wanting to make Max feel better, Magnus decided to talk about something else and he forced a smile when he saw the drawing in Max’s lap, knowing that it was supposed to be a secret for him. “Have you finished the drawing?” asked the man and reached for the paper, but Max removed it from Magnus’ reach.

“Not yet,” muttered Max and it was clear to the teacher that the boy was lying.

“Well, that’s okay,” said Magnus and placed his hands together, knowing that he was walking on thin ice. He knew that the boy was upset with him for some reason, but he didn’t know why. It was probably something that he said earlier, that had to be it. But no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn’t figure it out. “You can still show-”

“No.”

“Okay,” said Magnus and took in a deep breath. “Do you want me to go away?” asked the man carefully next and his eyes widened when Max nodded.

“Yes,” said Max, refusing to look at Magnus.

“I understand,” said Magnus and forced a smile, which faltered just a little bit that time and slowly got onto his legs. “W-well then, if you change your mind, tell me, okay?” he asked and watched how Max nodded, again without looking at him. “Good boy,” he whispered and then slowly walked away, his heart shrinking when he saw Max shutting down in front of his eyes. Usually he was able to help him, but not this time. This time Max didn’t let him inside and that broke Magnus’ heart.

 

* * *

 

By the time Alec arrived to the preschool, the kids were already outside again. Knowing where they were going to be, Alec headed straight for the playground, his eyes searching around it to see where Max was. Much to his surprise, the boy was sitting alone in the sandbox, ignoring the kids around him and he frowned when he saw that Magnus looked distant as well. Since the man was standing close to the fence, he soon saw Alec and he slowly walked closer to the man. Usually he would be happy to see Alec, but not even that was able to bring out a smile on his face. Alec pressed his lips together when he saw that Magnus wore a troubled expression on his face and he quickly realised that whatever happened must’ve been related to Max’s bad mood as well.

“Hey, Alec,” said Magnus and stepped closer to the younger one. He forced a smile on his face, but it wasn’t genuine. “Max’s in the sandbox. I’ll go tell him that you’re here and you two can finally go-”

“What the hell happened, Magnus?” asked Alec and grabbed Magnus’ wrist to stop him from leaving. “This isn’t like you.”

“Max is upset with me,” muttered Magnus and looked up at Alec. “Earlier one of the kids was asking Max about his family… Well, he called it weird, because he doesn’t have a mother,” said Magnus and Alec stiffened up just a little bit, knowing that something like that was to be expected sooner or later. The kids were still young, so of course it would confuse them; having one parent was a bit unusual to most kids Max’s age. However, Alec was confident that Magnus was able to explain things properly. “I managed to explain it and the other boy ended up apologising to Max. But as I was explaining, I must’ve said something wrong or weird, because ever since then, Max has been avoiding me. And if I really did say something wrong, I apologise, Alec. I was in no place to-”

“Magnus, calm down,” whispered Alec and even though they were close to children, he gently wrapped his index fingers around Magnus’ one, just like the man did on their date. Magnus stopped talking and he looked down. “I’m sure that it’s nothing. Look, why don’t I get him and then we go inside, to have a proper talk? What do you say?”

Magnus slowly nodded and waited by the fence, waiting for Alec to return with Max. As the two of them went inside, Magnus hurried to other teachers, telling them that he needed to talk with the Lightwoods. Others agreed to watch over his class as well and he then hurried back, where Max was already putting his things into his bag. Alec was sitting down next to his son and only then saw that whatever was bothering Max must’ve been serious.

“Max, can you please stop for a moment and come closer to me and Mr. Bane?” asked Alec softly and Max stiffened up, but in the end nodded and walked closer to his dad, looking away from Magnus and the man felt a stab at his heart again. “Now then,” started Alec and Max looked up. “Can you tell me why you’re in such a bad mood?”

“Am not,” stated Max, but wasn’t fooling anyone.

“Max,” said the younger man. “Your teacher told me that one of the kids in class said that you have a weird family?” asked Alec and Max slowly nodded, reaching for his plush and squeezed it close to himself. “Are you in a bad mood because of that?”

“No.”

“Then what’s the problem? I am sure that Mr. Bane explained to the boy properly. You know, not all people are from-”

“Mr. Bane said that we aren’t a family,” suddenly blurted out Max and Magnus’ eyes widened, his heart falling to the pit of his stomach and he quickly shook his head. Why in the world would the boy think that? He was so, so careful before to explain it properly, so he didn’t get it, he really didn’t. The man then glanced to Alec, who was just as shocked and quickly took a step back when Alec’s face darkened with anger.

When Max said that, Alec became angry. No, furious was the right word. Also, he was shocked to hear that Magnus would say something like that. Maybe Max just misunderstood it? He tried to think rationally, but in the end the anger got the best of him and he snapped. He was always like that, hot headed and overprotective when it came to Max. “Magnus?!” snapped Alec.

“I didn’t-” whispered Magnus, but was interrupted by Alec.

“Are you calling my son a liar?”

“Of course not,” stammered Magnus and then glanced at Max, who was now looking at him, but didn’t look angry anymore. Instead, he looked sad and it seemed that he regretted saying that now that he saw how Alec reacted. “I never said that, I would never…” said the older man and took in a deep breath. “I’m sure that it’s just a big misunderstanding and-” he started again, but then stopped talking.

“Max,” said Alec as softly as he could as he was still raging with anger. “Can you please tell me exactly what Mr. Bane said?”

“He said that there are many different families,” started Max and then stopped a while to take a second, remembering Magnus’ words from before. It was true that Mr. Bane never said it with those exact words that he and Alec weren’t a family, but he made it sound like that. “B-but I’m adopted and Mr. Bane didn’t say that…” After that Max stopped and realised that he understood it wrong. It was his fault that Mr. Bane was sad and that his dad got angry at his teacher.

“What?” asked Alec.

“It appears that I’ve failed to mention, as I was explaining about families, that some kids are adopted and are a part of the family as well,” muttered Magnus and sighed. “Max,” said Magnus and the boy’s eyes found him immediately. “The fact that you’re adopted doesn’t make you and your dad any less of a family,” whispered Magnus and pressed his lips together. “I’m sorry if I made you feel that way. I apologise.”

Alec’s anger disappeared into thin air when he heard that Max misunderstood Magnus’ words from before and now he felt stupid for snapping at Magnus. He looked at the man, who wore a sad expression on his face and he felt a stab of guilt at his heart. He hated himself for doing that; it was always like that with him and even though it was true that he managed to lower the walls around his heart, he still had a long way to go. “Magnus, I apologise. I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s okay, Alec, really,” said Magnus and forced a weak smile on his face. “Look, I should get going anyway so-”

“It isn’t okay,” said Alec. “Your feelings were hurt, so it’s not okay. At all.”

Max flinched when Alec said that and his eyes welled up immediately, blaming himself. He knew that it was his fault, it had to be. Alec shouted at Magnus all because of him. With tears in his eyes, he quickly opened up his bag and took out the drawing that he drew before for Magnus and ran up to the man, who quickly knelt down. Magnus noticed the tears in Magnus’ eyes and he sighed, his eyes widening when Max gave him the drawing from before.

“H-here, it’s finished,” whispered Max and wiped the tears away, wanting to be a big boy. “I-I’m sorry. Daddy got mad at you because of me. I’m sorry, Mr. Bane.”

Magnus turned the drawing around and chuckled when he saw that Max drew a frog, probably as a joke before. When Max said those next words, Magnus bit into his lower lip and quickly shook his head. “It’s not your fault, Max. I should’ve been more careful of what I was saying. I didn’t mean to make you feel like that.”

“A-are you angry with me?” was Max’s next question.

“Of course not,” said Magnus and placed a hand on top of Max’s head. As he said that, Max burst into tears and Magnus looked up at Alec, who appeared to be thinking. Max then walked closer to Mr. Bane and buried his face into the man’s shoulder. Not knowing what to do, Magnus gently placed a hand on top of Max’s back, but eventually squeezed him closer and gave him a proper hug.

“I’m sorry as well,” whispered Alec and stepped closer to the two of them. He got onto his knees as well and as Max calmed down, pressed a quick kiss again Magnus’ temple.

“You are forgiven,” said Magnus, although he wasn’t sure if Alec should be the one apologising. Max held tightly onto Mr. Bane and Magnus chuckled when he felt how Alec took one hand into his own and linked their fingers behind his back.

After a while, when Max finally let go of Magnus, he looked at his watch and noticed that it was already quite late. “I’ll finish with work in a few minutes,” said Magnus and looked at Max. “I’ve heard that you wanted to go with me and Alec the last time. So, how about it? Do you want some ice cream? My treat.”

“Yes!” Max’s eyes lit up and he looked at Alec. “Can we go, daddy?”

“Sure, why not,” was Alec’s reply, who also wanted to spend some more time with Magnus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not exactly how I wanted the chapter to turn out, but that was the best that I could do ._. (I'm not even sure where I was going with this :/)  
> I dunno, I hope it was okay? I don't know, not much happened... hopefully it wasn't too boring.  
> \--------------------------------  
> Comments & opinions are well appreciated


	7. Chapter 7

Magnus and Alec were walking towards the younger one's apartment, while the little boy was soundly asleep in his dad's arms. After the ice cream, they went to the town's zoo as well, since that was something that Max didn't do up until then because he was too scared. But, when Magnus gave an idea of going there, the boy's previous fears seemed to disappear into thin air. So, it wasn't really a surprise that Max ended up being too tired to walk back home. Alec decided to carry him and in the end the small boy fell asleep on their way back home. Magnus, who was walking next to the younger man, had a huge smile on his face. He was happy, beyond happy. Especially after the day that he had that day. He was more than happy to see that the misunderstanding was able to clear up soon and the three of them ended up having a great time together.

Magnus bit into his lower lip and his heart filled itself with warmth and happiness. It was a while since he felt that way; he was the happiest when he was around Alec and his son and even though they didn't know each other for that long, he found himself to be secretly hoping that one day he would be a part of Max's and Alec's adorable family. That thought warmed his entire body up and he chuckled, gaining Alec's attention in a blink of an eye, who sent him a smile as they were still walking.

“What's on your mind?” asked Alec when he saw Magnus' bright smile, even though he already knew the answer. His thoughts were also with Magnus and the wonderful day that they had together. Max was able to completely calm down once they went to the zoo and Alec couldn't be happier when he watched Magnus' and Max's interactions. There was nothing but love in the older one's eyes when he was looking at Max.

“You,” admitted Magnus, his words causing Alec's face to heat up and flush into bright pink colour. Magnus chuckled when he noticed the blush being dusted over the other's cheeks and he took in a deep breath before he continued. “And Max,” he said. “I had a really great time with the two of you. I hope you did too.”

“Of course I did,” stammered Alec and gently held Max's head when the boy moved in his arms. “Max had a blast as well, especially at the zoo. He's never been in one before, because up until now he's been too scared to go. I was actually surprised when he said that he wanted to go there,” he said and glanced at Magnus. “You helped him out a lot, Magnus. It's only been a month, but he's really stepped out of his comfort zone thanks to you.”

Magnus opened his mouth to say that it wasn't only him that was able to make Max open up, but in the end didn't say anything. He didn't want to ruin the moment, so he stayed quiet and they walked in silence to Alec's apartment. Once reaching the building, Magnus was about to say his goodbyes, but Alec was faster than him and Magnus' eyes widened as the other one asked, “Want to come up?” Alec made a short pause and took in a deep breath when he saw the look on Magnus' face. “It's still pretty early and since Max is already asleep, I have nothing to do. I live alone, so it gets boring and lonely at times. Also, I want to spend some more time with you... alone,” asked Alec.

“Okay,” said Magnus and chuckled when he saw Alec's face heating up in embarrassment once again. “I'd love to spend some more time with you as well,” he then quickly added and earned one of the warmest and brightest smiles from Alec, who was happy to hear that the wish was mutual. Magnus followed Alec up the stairs and took Max into his arms as Alec unlocked the door and then followed Alec inside of the apartment.

Magnus looked around it and smiled. The apartment itself wasn't big, but it had a warm and sweet feel to it. Alec guided Magnus into the boy's bedroom, where Alec later quickly changed his son's clothes and put him to bed. In the meantime, Magnus was waiting for Alec in his living room and smiled when he saw a picture of Alec, Max and a girl standing next to them on one of the shelves. Alec mentioned that he had a sister, so that was probably her.

Alec soon joined Magnus in the living room and smiled when he saw Magnus looking at the family photos. He walked closer to him and Magnus quickly placed the picture back to its place, but Alec didn't really mind that Magnus was snooping around. “That's my sister, Izzy,” said Alec and pointed to the picture that Magnus was looking a few moments earlier. “You'd like her. She is amazing, but terribly nosy at times.”

“I see,” said Magnus and chuckled. “I'd love to meet her someday,” he then added and continued to look at the photos. One of them caught his attention; Alec and his sister looked much younger and a blonde boy was standing next to the two of them. Also, there were a man and a woman standing behind them; probably Alec's parents. “Are these your parents?” asked Magnus and pointed to the other picture.

“Yeah, that's them,” stated Alec. “The blond one is my brother, Jace,” he then added.

“I see,” said Magnus and his smile widened as he continued to observe Alec as a child. “You were an adorable child,” muttered Magnus and Alec rolled his eyes, but then smiled as well.

“I guess,” said Alec and shrugged his shoulders. Magnus turned around and hummed, amused. It looked like his compliment made Alec feel uncomfortable. Magnus was quite fond of compliments, but Alec was completely different. He would always look uneasy and he didn't know what to do with himself really. Being complimented was something that Alec never liked and he didn't know it why. Probably because it put him in the centre of attention and he didn't like it.

“You don't like it when other people compliment you?” asked Magnus and took a step forward to Alec, who immediately took one back, but that didn't him discourage to take another step closer to Alec again, his smirk growing.

“I don't dislike it,” whispered Alec and made another step back as Magnus stepped closer again. His throat suddenly felt dry and it hit him only then that he was completely alone with Magnus for the first time. That made his skin tingle with excitement and nervousness at the same time; it was definitely a weird feeling, but not unpleasant. It made Alec feel something that he didn't experience in a long time. “I'm just not used to it, I guess.”

“You should get used to it quick, Alexander,” whispered Magnus and placed his hand on top of Alec's chest, pushing him back and Alec's eyes widened when he found himself trapped between the wall and Magnus' body. He placed his hands down to his sides and tried to look away, because Magnus' face was too close. If he wanted to pay attention to whatever the older man was saying, he had to look away. If not, he would get lost in his beautiful, gorgeous eyes. “From now on, I'll make sure you get complimented on daily basis,” said Magnus and smiled.

“Umm, okay,” said Alec and forced out an awkward laugh.

Magnus placed a hand back on top of Alec's chest and let out a hitched breath when he felt how hard Alec's heart was beating and he bit into his lower lip. Alec's heart was hammering hard against his ribcage, and heck, he would be lying if he said that his own wasn't as well. Magnus' fingers trembled just a little bit when Alec gasped, feeling the younger's hot breath against his lips. Magnus parted his own ones and dragged his tongue over his lower lip, his hand travelling up to Alec's hair. “Your hair is too long,” said Magnus and chuckled when he saw the confusion written all over Alec's hair. “I don't like it how it falls over your eyes and hides them,” he whispered and gently brushed some of the hair to the side.

''I-is that so?'' muttered Alec and swallowed thickly, looking down when he felt how Magnus buried his fingers into his thick, dark hair. He pressed his hands against the wall and closed his eyes tightly, trying to think straight, but that was kind of impossible when he had Magnus playing with his hair so wonderfully. Magnus tugged on his hair a bit and Alec gasped, pressing his head against Magnus’ palm, who let out a chuckle, his low voice sending shivers up the other’s spine. Alec pressed his lips together when he felt Magnus’ warm palm against his cheek and without even knowing it, nuzzled against the warmth of the palm.

Alec was adorable. The way that he reacted to Magnus’ touches was beyond amusing to the man and he couldn’t help himself but to compare Alec to a cat; he was exactly like the cat he owned when it came to affection. Knowing that Alec liked the attention, Magnus tried to push a bit further, so he pressed his body firmer against Alec’s, who let low groan and Magnus smirked. “You’re just like a kitten, Alec,” whispered Magnus against the other’s ear, which send blood rushing into the other’s face. “So adorable,” he then said and leaned forward, kissing the tip of Alec’s nose. “Open your eyes. Look at me.”

Alec dug his fingers into his jeans and forced himself to open his eyes, but still resisted making an eye contact with the other. Magnus then gently placed his fingers under Alec’s chin and forced the other one to look at him properly and Alec’s eyes widened just a little bit when Magnus pressed his forehead against his own one and slowly slid his hand behind his neck. “Magnus,” whispered Alec and gritted teeth, knowing what Magnus was doing. “Stop stalling and kiss me already,” he then blurted out.

A victorious smile spread across Magnus’ lips and he pulled back, nodding slowly. He didn’t need to be told twice as he gently held Alec’s face with his palms and placed his lips on top of Alec’s ones. Alec smiled when their lips met for the first time and he returned the kiss almost immediately; that was something that he was dying to do ever since he laid his eyes upon Magnus. The first few kisses were slow and careful. Magnus’ body tingled when their lips met for the first time and he sighed. The softness of Alec’s lips made the older one feel relaxed and he almost smiled. It was like Alec’s kisses were soothing him and kissing all the worries of the world away. Magnus’ heart jumped and he liked the feeling of that. No one has made him feel like that with just a single kiss.

The way that Magnus was kissing and holding him almost brought tears to Alec’s eyes. He was so, so gentle and so careful with him. Magnus gasped when the younger man took his lower lip between his own and gently sucked onto it. It made his heart beat faster and his knees buckled when Alec’s strong arms were wrapped around his waist and he gasped as the other one applied a bit more pressure to the kiss. Magnus buried his fingers deep into Alec’s hair, causing the younger to moan in approval and the older smiled into their kiss as Alec held tightly onto him.

“Alec,” whispered Magnus as they parted for only a split second and then Alec already claimed his lips again. The way that Magnus moaned out his name made Alec snap inside and he spun them around, so that Magnus was the one who ended up being pinned against the wall. The older’s eyes widened at the change of Alec’s behaviour, but it was more than welcomed at Magnus’ part. It’s been years since Alec was kissed like that, so now that he had an object of his complete affection moaning out his name like that, he couldn’t help himself really.

Alec was kissing Magnus’ lips, then his forehead, eyelids… every part of his face and all that Magnus could do was to chuckle softly as Alec kissed his way down, kissing along his jawline and Magnus tilted his head to the right when he felt Alec kissing against his neck. Alec licked and sucked against the exposed flesh, but not too rough; not enough to leave a mark there, but rough enough to make Magnus moan out again.

“God, Alec,” whispered Magnus and bit into his lower lip as Alec pulled away just a bit. Magnus’ face was then flushed as well, his eyes dark and glazed with lust and the realisation that it was him that made Magnus look like that struck Alec right to the core. Without thinking twice, Alec attacked Magnus’ lips again and the older did nothing to stop him, he wanted to feel more of Alec anyway.

Magnus let out a surprised gasp when he felt Alec licking along his lower lip, quickly parting his lips and Alec slowly darted his tongue out, slipping it into Magnus’ hot and wet mouth. Both of them were softly moaning as their tongues battled for dominance, but it was a battle that Magnus was more than glad to lose for a change and he melted right against Alec’s frame as the other one continued to devour his mouth right at that spot. They shared a few more kisses and with a final kiss on Magnus’ temple, Alec broke their kiss and pulled away.

Both of them were gasping for air and after a few more minutes, Magnus’ soft laughter filled the room around them. Alec looked at him and frowned. “What?” stammered Alec, his voice low, his entire body still shuddering from the kiss. “W-was it that bad?”

“Bad?” asked Magnus and shook his head, his entire body shaking from laughing. “It was amazing,” he then said and Alec straightened himself up, proud of himself. “You know, I expected you to be more reserved. You act so shy all the time, but it makes me wonder if that isn’t just an act,” said Magnus playfully and Alec quickly blushed again.

“Ah, yes,” said Alec slowly. “I’m sorry, I-”

“Oh, don’t apologise,” said Magnus and a smile tugged at lips. “You don’t see me complaining, do you?” he then asked the older one and Alec slowly nodded.

“I guess not,” said Alec and cleared his throat. “N-now then,” he started. “Should I bring you something to drink? I don’t have any alcoholic drinks, but I have plenty of hot chocolate thanks to Max, so if you’d like-” started Alec, but was stopped when Magnus placed his finger on top of his lips.

“Alexander,” whispered Magnus and pulled Alec’s face closer. “Stop running that pretty mouth of yours and put it to a better use,” he said and Alec stopped talking, swallowing thickly. “Kiss me,” said Magnus then and Alec did exactly what Magnus wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the support and the lovely comments. They always put a smile on my face and make me more motivated :)
> 
> Comments & opinions are well appreciated ^^


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus wasn't Alec's first love and Alec wasn't Magnus' first love, but that is completely okay... they were lucky enough to find each other and that is all what counts. Dwelling about the past doesn't make sense if the present is so much more wonderful.

Magnus and Alec were currently in a restaurant, on one of their many dates so far, while Max was spending time with his uncle Jace and aunt, Clary. The duo was happily chatting as they were eating their dinner and were lost in their own little world, not really paying attention to other people around them. Magnus was currently talking about how the whole preschool was going on a three day trip, Alec carefully listening to the man. Since the kids were still pretty young, the number of teachers wasn't going to be enough to supervise all of the children, so they needed to ask a couple of parents to come along with them, to help them out. Magnus considered asking Alec at first, but he then remembered that the younger one was busy with his job, so he didn't want to burden him any further. Alec, on the other hand, completely forgot about his job and frowned, because Magnus didn't invite him to come along. To him, spending a few days together with Magnus, Max and the others sounded quite fun.

“You know, if you need help... I can come along,” said Alec and leaned closer to the older male and smiled. “I'd love to spend the time with you and the others. I think it'd be fun if we all went together. Don't you think so?”

“Yeah, it would be fun if you came along,” said Magnus and nodded in agreement. “To be honest, you were the first choice that came to my mind, but then I remembered that you have to work,” he said. “Are you really sure that you'd be able to make it? I wouldn't want to cause any problems or interfere with your work.”

“It's gonna be fine,” said Alec and chuckled, shrugging. “I want to go. I'll make sure that I'll be done with everything by the time that the trip comes by. Besides, I'm not so sure that Max would want to go without me. He's fond of you, but he's still pretty nervous if he sleeps in an unknown place,” went on by saying Alec and Magnus.

“You make a good point,” said the older male and took a sip of his drink as he gazed at Alec. “It's a deal then, we'll go together,” he then said and gently placed a hand on top of Alec's. It was an awfully sappy scene, but neither of them cared and Alec chuckled when Magnus linked their fingers together, giving his hand a gentle squeeze as Alec's thumb gently caressed against the man's palm. ”Max's probably going to be so happy when he hears that you're coming along as well,” said Magnus and Alec chuckled.

As they continued to chat about random things, Magnus noticed that a person, which was well too known to him, stepped inside of the restaurant and he silently cursed, hoping that the person wouldn't see him. It was his ex-girlfriend, Camille, and even though they still talked every now and then, Magnus would rather not see her when he was with Alec. Their break up was bad, the whole relationship was built on so many lies on Camille's end. It took Magnus quite some time to get over her; he loved her after all, with all his heart.

Camille was always a mystery to Magnus; he could never figure her out and that was something that lured him in when he met her. Their relationship lasted for two years and after the break-up, Magnus wanted to erase his every memory that he had spend with that woman. However, she apologised in the end for lying and even though he wanted to hate her, he couldn't. He knew that her apology was sincere, or at least he hoped that it was. He was finally able to forgive her and himself for being so stupid to buy all of the lies that she'd told him. And even though they still talked every now and then, Magnus rather ignored her if he had the chance to do so.

When Magnus' smile disappeared for him face, Alec frowned and looked towards the door, to where Magnus was looking at. The older male appeared to be looking at a woman who had just walked in. She was wearing a red short dress and her long, black hair was falling down past her shoulders. She looked absolutely beautiful and for a moment, Alec was confused because it looked like Magnus knew her. And judging by the hatred in his eyes, he didn't want her here.

“Magnus?” whispered Alec and leaned closer to the older one. “Who's that?”

“Huh?” asked Magnus when he was brought back to reality and he didn't even know it himself that he was staring at Camille. He was too caught up in the memories that he had completely forgotten when he was. But he was soon remembered and he stiffened when his eyes focused on Camille once again.

“The woman you keep staring at,” said Alec.

“That's Camille,” said Magnus and scrunched his nose, still hoping that she wouldn't see him. But knowing his luck, she quickly found him and Magnus groaned when she waved to him and he quickly turned around when the woman started walking closer to the two of them. Alec, who still didn't know what the hell was going on, sent Camille a weak smile and then looked at Magnus, who looked nervous. And Magnus was nervous, he was always nervous when Camille was around. She wasn't a bad person, she just didn't know any better. Magnus didn't know it why, but he was even more nervous than usual now that Alec was with him. “My ex,” he then quickly added and Alec's eyes widened.

“Your ex?” asked Alec in disbelief and blinked a few times. “But I thought you were-”

“Magnus!” said a voice and Alec stopped talking. Magnus on the other hand rolled his eyes and gave Camille an unamused look. He didn't get it; how did she always find him when he was on a date with someone important? That was something that he never understood and he didn't even want to understand it. “It's been a while, how have you been?” asked Camille then and sent Alec a polite smile when she noticed that Magnus was with someone. “Why, hello there, my name's Camille and you-”

“Hi, Camille,” said Magnus, interrupting the woman. His voice was strained and he narrowed his eyes when she looked at him. “I'm in the middle of something, so if you don't mind,” he hissed.

Camille pressed her lips together. He still resented her after what she did to him, didn't he? Camille wasn't stupid, she knew exactly how horrible her lies were and even though she knew that she shouldn't push it too hard, it saddened her when she saw only pain in Magnus' eyes when the man looked at her. And just to think that he loved her so much back in the day... She knew that she should be happy that Magnus still agreed to talk with her, but it still hurt knowing that it was her that ruined their relationship. It wasn't always perfect, but they were happy until the lying began. She felt horrible for what she did, she really did, no matter how much other people didn't want to believe that.

Camille's smile faltered just a little bit, but she didn't feel too discouraged. “That's okay, I won't bother you too long. I'm with someone anyway, so don't worry. I won't ruin any more things for you,” she said bitterly and Magnus looked away, feeling his heart tightening. Alec placed his hands together in his lap and gave Camille an awkward smile as the atmosphere completely changed. “I just wanted to say hi.”

“Is that so?” asked Magnus, who was speaking to himself more than to her and Alec looked up at her, who looked as equally hurt as Magnus. Alec didn't know what happened, but it must've been bad. As neither of them said anything anymore, Alec became nervous and decided to introduce himself. That seemed like a good idea. It was better from than excruciating silence anyway.

“Hello there,” said Alec politely and handed his hand out to Camille, even though he earned a disapproving look from the other man, but at the moment he didn't care. He promised to himself that he would ask Magnus about his relationship with that woman. “My name is Alec,” he then added and he could see that his politeness had completely caught Camille off guard.

“It's a pleasure,” said Camille and forced a smile. The fact that the other man didn't appear to be angry with her as well told her that Magnus still hadn't told him about her. On the other hand, she saw it before, how Magnus looked at Alec and even though they were dating for two years, he never looked at her like that. Usually, she would feel envy, but not that time. She was... happy for Magnus. Happy that he was able to find someone that was better to him than she was and was able to move on. She certainly still hadn't done so. “Are you two together?” she then asked.

“It's none of your business, Camille,” said Magnus, his voice still terribly strained as his body was as well. ”Can you please leave us alone? You said that you were with someone, or was that another one of your lies?” asked Magnus and Alec saw that his words hurt Camille. Alec then looked at Magnus, who wore a bitter expression on his face and he let out a small sigh.

“No, I just-”

“Go,” repeated himself Magnus, slowly growing impatient. He usually was a very patient man, but not when it came to Camille.

“Magnus, please-”

“Okay, that's it,” said Magnus and got onto his legs, signing Alec to follow him. “Alec, we're leaving. My appetite’s been ruined anyway,” said Magnus and the younger one sent him a confused look. Magnus pressed his lips when Alec wouldn't follow him and he stepped closer to him, grabbed him by his wrist and pulled him onto his legs. “Alexander, we're leaving,” said Magnus and then narrowed his eyes. Alec felt annoyance kicking in, because he didn't like the way that Magnus was ordering him around, but because he didn't want to make the situation worse, he just nodded, bowed his head and in silence followed Magnus.

* * *

 

“Magnus, for the love of god, could you please stop and just tell me what the hell is going on?” snapped Alec when he finally had it enough. After leaving the restaurant, the two of them were just walking around the town in circles, Magnus completely silent and Alec had it enough. “Magnus,” said Alec and groaned, because Magnus was still ignoring him. Annoyed, Alec grabbed Magnus' arm, which finally stopped him and the younger one sighed when Magnus looked at him.

“I'm sorry,” muttered Magnus and took in a deep breath. “I thought I'd have my emotions under control by now. We've broken up years ago, but every time I see her... I'm reminded by the pain that she caused me.”

Alec nodded and took Magnus' hand into his own, guiding him to the bench that was close to them and the two of them sat down. They sat like that in silence for a few moments and Magnus glanced at Alec as the other intertwined their fingers together, calming down at that just a little bit. “You know,” started Alec after a while. “Talking helps. So, if you wanna talk, I'm here.”

“I'm not sure that I want to talk about my ex with you,” said Magnus.

“Why not?”

Magnus looked at Alec and sighed; he knew that the younger one had a point and was only trying to be a good boyfriend by helping him out, but he really wasn’t in the mood to be talking about his best relationships. Especially not to Alec, it was still too soon in his opinion. Plus, this was Camille that he was talking about and it was never a good time to be discussing about the woman anyway. He nervously leaned back against the bench and moved his hand from Alec’s reach and clicked with his tongue, shaking his head. “I don’t really feel like going into details. Let’s just say that our relationship ended badly. It was an ugly breakup, Alexander. And I don’t want to ruin such a perfect night talking about Camille,” said Magnus, hoping that Alec would just leave it be for that day and not ask him any further questions.

Alec pressed his lips together and let out a deep breath. He understood what Magnus meant in a way, but he still wished that Magnus wouldn’t be so stubborn about it. He couldn’t force Magnus to tell him everything, it wouldn’t be a right thing to do. What he had learned so far about the older man was that he also found it difficult to find trust in other people and open up to them was just as difficult for Magnus as it was for Alec. Before, Alec knew that there had to be a reason why Magnus was guarding his heart so much and now he finally understood.

“I understand,” muttered the younger one and leaned back, looking up to the sky. He blinked a few times as he observed the stars for a few more seconds, before he continued. “It’s okay if you don’t wanna talk about it. But just so you know, I wouldn’t mind listening,” he then added and glanced at Magnus, who still didn’t look too convinced.

“You want me to talk about my past relationship on our date?” asked Magnus, because that was a first for him. All of his past experiences had taught him that it was never a good idea to discuss so openly about your past relationships. “Really?”

“I don’t really see where the problem is,” said Alec, who was completely oblivious to Magnus’ worries. “There’s still a lot of things I don’t know about you, because it’s always just me talking and complaining about my life. I know that you don’t mind listening, but it isn’t fair at times. For a change, I want to be there for you. I want you to know that you can trust me and tell me everything about you… even about your exes. I’d be more than happy to listen about it, if it would help you somehow.”

“Alexander,” said Magnus under his breath and a small smile tugged on his lips as he felt his heart warming up. He took a few moments to think about it and then came to the conclusion that Alec was right. If he wanted this relationship to work to, he needed to open up as well. “You’re right,” said Magnus slowly and then took Alec’s hand back into his. That put his mind at peace somehow and it gave him a new courage to continue. “I just… don’t know where to start,” he then stammered and for the firs time, Alec was able to another side of Magnus that he wasn’t used to seeing. The older one looked nervous and even scared somehow; it was fear of getting hurt again. That was why he was shielding his heart so much and Alec was beyond happy that Magnus opened up and allowed him inside.

“It doesn’t matter, you can start at the end or at the beginning,” said Alec softly and gave Magnus a smile. “You don’t have to tell me everything if it still hurts too much… no pressure,” he then quickly added and earned a grateful look from Magnus.

Magnus then took in a deep breath and thought what he should say. He looked at Alec again, who was patiently waiting for him to continue and he pressed his lips together, forming a thin line. Then he realised, no matter what he’d say, it wouldn’t make any difference. Even though they were painful memories, they didn’t matter anymore, because now he had Alec. She couldn’t hurt him anymore. “I loved her, she was my fist love,” said Magnus softly and looked at Alec, searching for any signs of jealousy, but he got none. All that he found in his eyes was love, there was no judgement. That made him smile again and he let out a hitched breath. “There were lies, she told me so many lies, and I was stupid enough to fall for every single one of them. In the end, she broke my heart… that’s all to it, really. I don’t want to get into details, it wouldn’t make any difference,” he then said and looked down.

Alec knew what Magnus was doing as he kept looking at his face, he was trying to figure out what kind of a reaction he’d have. Maybe Magnus expected him to get jealous, but he didn’t feel jealous at all. Magnus said that Camille was his first love, and that was completely fine; Magnus wasn’t his first love either, which was completely okay as well. They’ve both had a past, they both lived a life and had fallen in love before and fallen out of it; that’s just life for you. “I see,” said Alec slowly and smiled. “It’s her loss, really. She was stupid enough to hurt and let go of someone as great as you,” he said and chuckled. “She’s not very bright.”

“So, you’re not bothered by it?” asked Magnus slowly and Alec arched an eyebrow.

“Bothered by what? That you said she was your first love?” asked Alec and Magnus nodded. “Of course not,” he made a short pause. “It’s always something about a first love, one never manages to forget that person. And that’s completely fine, if you ask me,” said Alec and looked at Magnus, who was now smiling as well.

“Do you still remember your first love?” asked Magnus with a small voice, wanting to know as well.

“Of course, it was Jace,” said Alec.

“Jace?” asked Magnus and his eyes widened. “Isn’t he your brother?”

“My parents adopted him when he was ten,” explained Alec. “We were always inseparable, but when I was around 17 or 18, I figured out that there was a bit more than just friendship that I felt for him,” said Alec and looked at Magnus, who was carefully listening to him. “I thought that just being by his side was going to be enough for me, you know? But it killed me when he met Clary. I used to hate her from the bottom of my heart. Yeah, I was horrible to her… I was so miserable back then. Trying to pretend someone I wasn’t was exhausting,” he then added and Magnus nodded, knowing what he meant. “But in the end, as time passed, I managed to get over it and now everything is okay,” said Alec and earned a chuckle from Magnus.

Hearing all of that explained a lot of things to Magnus and he felt bad that Alec had to go through all of that all by himself. However, as he mentioned before, that didn’t matter anymore. They were lucky enough to find each other and that was enough for both of them. They knew that it didn’t make any sense to dwell about the past if the present was so much more wonderful. 

“More than just okay, if you ask me,” muttered the older one and bit into his lower lip, preventing himself from smiling too widely.

“Yeah,” said Alec in agreement and leaned closer to his boyfriend, hugged his chin and pulled his face closer as he placed his lips on top of Magnus’ a few times. As they parted, Alec felt warmth exploding inside his chest and he let out a happy sigh.

“Now then,” said Magnus and got onto his legs, grabbing Alec by his wrist and pulled him onto his legs as well. “The date isn’t over yet.”

“Oh, you have more things planned?”

“Of course, who do you take me for, angel?” asked Magnus and chuckled when he saw Alec’s blush growing at the new nick name. “I’m taking you to the movies next,” he then announced and Alec nodded, the smile on his face remaining as they walked to the cinema.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it :)  
> I do realise that Camille is quite OOC here, but that was kind of the point, so I hope you don't mind seeing that.
> 
> Comments & opinions are well appreciated


	9. Chapter 9

''Daddy, are you going somewhere again?” asked Max with a small voice when he saw that his father was wearing nice clothes again and his heart sunk to the pit of his tummy. Lately, his father had been spending quite a lot of time with Mr. Bane and even though the boy didn’t mind spending time with his uncle and aunts, he was bothered by the fact that Alec never wanted to take him along on one of their adventures. Max didn’t really get it; why did the two of them have to discuss so many things? It didn’t make sense. Also, why couldn’t he go along with his dad? It was unfair that the man was having fun, while he had to be at home. Alec knew how much he liked Mr. Bane, so Max had the right to be slightly annoyed. “Can I come too?” he then asked and placed his hands together behind his back and his big eyes found Alec’s.

“I’m not going anywhere,” said Alec and smiled when he looked at his son, who was curiously waiting for an explanation. Despite his young age, the boy knew when he was going out. He placed a hand on top of Max’s head and then picked him up, carrying the boy into the living room and placed him onto the sofa, sitting down next to him. “But we are going to have a visitor tonight,” he then added and saw that Max’s eyes literally lit up. Max wasn’t stupid; he knew that Magnus was coming over and he happily clapped with his little hands.

“Mr. Bane is coming?” asked Max happily and giggled happily after Alec nodded. “Yay,” he then happily added, barely containing his excitement. It was true that he was able to see his teacher every day in preschool, but he liked it better when Magnus didn’t have to take care of other kids as well. That day in the zoo was one of the most fun days that he had so far. “Are we going to zoo again, daddy? Please, can we go, daddy? Pretty please?” started asking Max and Alec chuckled as the small bundle of joy started jumping up and down the sofa.

“Calm down, Max,” said Alec, but laughed when Max shook his head. It was a precious sight to see Max be so happy and excited about Magnus coming over. Alec still didn’t tell Max that he and Magnus were dating, because he didn’t know how to break the news to his son. Since he adopted Max, he was never in a relationship and now that he was, he didn’t know how to tell the little boy that. The fact that Max liked Magnus was a plus, but he still didn’t know if Max would understand it at such a young age. Alec shook his head, waking himself up from day dreaming and smiled when Max climbed into his lap. “I don’t think we’ll able to visit the zoo today,” said Alec and glanced at the window. It was pretty late, Magnus was coming over to have a dinner with Max and Alec.

“Why not?” asked Max.

“Well, it’s pretty late, you know? The animals are sleepy and will probably go to bed soon,” said Alec and Max pouted, crossing his little arms on top of his chest. “We should let them rest,” he then added and Max slowly nodded, even though he was still sulking. “But, Magnus is coming over to have a dinner with the two of us,” stated Alec and Max’s eyes lit up again when he heard the good news. “That’s pretty exciting, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” said Max happily and nodded.

“Now then,” said Alec and scooped Max up into his arms again as he stood up, walking towards the kitchen. “Mr. Bane is going to be here any minute now,” he said and Max interrupted him with a happy giggle. “Want to help me set the table?” he then asked and Max quickly nodded.

“Yes, I’ll help set the table, daddy,” said Max, who was sure that he could do it all on his own. He was a big boy, after all.

* * *

 

Magnus was already sitting in the car, driving towards Alec’s place. The two of them had decided on an evening in and Magnus couldn’t be happier about that; having a dinner at Alec’s place, while having Max around sounded absolutely lovely to the man. So far, things were going smooth and Magnus couldn’t be happier about that either; in his eyes Alec was perfect. No matter what he did or said, he never judged him and he felt his face heating up just a little bit when he felt his heart beating faster as his thoughts were still with Alec. The two months that he had spent with Alec, he had been happier than all of those two years with Camille combined. And now that things were going to well, he felt anxious, because it felt too good to be true. When things were going good for him, it always ended too soon. Pushing, those annoying feelings away, Magnus made a left turn and smiled when he finally arrived to Alec’s place.

He parked his car in front of the building in which Alec lived and then looked himself in the car mirror. After fixing his hair and checking out his smile, he was finally ready to go meet up with Alec and Max. He soon found himself standing outside of Alec’s apartment and he didn’t even hesitate to ring the doorbell. As he was waiting for the other one to open the door, Magnus straightened his clothes and then flashed a big smirk when the door was finally opened.

When Magnus rang the doorbell, Alec was just in the middle of checking up on the dinner. He and Max had already made the table and it looked really fancy. It was all thanks to Max, because it was him that was in charge of setting up the table and the little boy was proud of himself when his dad praised him. Just as Alec was about to say something to Max, the doorbell rung, making Alec’s heart jump because he knew who it was. Before he could stand up and walk over to the door, Max was already running to it.

“I am a big boy, I will open the door for Mr. Bane. You daddy look after the dinner,” said the excited boy as he skipped his way to the door. Alec bit into his lower lip when he saw how excited his son looked and he shook his head. Max then opened the door and smiled widely. “Hello,” he said and waved.

Magnus, who was expecting Alec to be the one to open the door, frowned but then his facial expression softened when he saw Max standing there instead. He leaned down and he gently ruffled the boy’s head. “Hey, Max,” said Magnus happily. “Is your daddy home?” he then asked.

“Yes, daddy’s home,” said Max and then grabbed Magnus’ hand with his small hands. “He is waiting for you. Come inside,” said the boy, dragging Magnus inside of the apartment and all that Magnus could do was to smile and follow Max. “Daddy, daddy, Mr. Bane’s here,” sang Max happily and Alec quickly stepped out of the kitchen, rubbing his palms together as he stepped to the other two.

“Hey,” said Magnus softly when his eyes found Alec and the younger one smiled, stepping closer to the man. “Oh, something smells good,” he then said and looked at Alec. “I didn’t know you could cook,” said Magnus cheekily and Alec chuckled.

“Hey, Magnus,” said Alec and as Max was currently looking away allowed himself to press a quick kiss against Magnus’ temple, making the older male let out a happy sigh. Honestly, Magnus was a bit taken back by the kiss, but it was definitely a welcomed thing. He knew that Alec was still unsure whether he should tell Max about their relationship or not. Magnus himself wasn’t sure of that either. He was still Max’s teacher, so it was probably the best to keep the relationship as a secret for a little while. “Hungry?”

“Mm, yeah,” said Magnus and nodded. “I’m starving, I can’t wait to see what kind of a delicious meal you’ve prepared.”

“I helped too, Mr. Bane,” said Max and raised his hand high up in the air, just like he did in preschool when he wanted to say something.

“Oh, really?” asked Magnus and chuckled, kneeling down to the boy. “So, what’s on the menu, little chef?” asked the man playfully and Max giggled, shaking his head.

“Daddy’s the chef,” stated the boy. “I set up the table,” he then said proudly and patted himself on the chest. “Look, come and see,” he then added and took Magnus’ hand into his own, guiding him to the kitchen, Magnus more than happy to follow Alec’s little son. Alec followed the other two in silence and smiled when he saw how proud and happy Max looked.

Magnus smiled when he saw the dining table and he could see that Max put a lot of work in preparing it. The thing was so important to Max, it was beyond adorable and he let out a happy sigh. “You really did this all on your own?” asked Magnus and Max happily nodded when he saw that his teacher looked impressed. “I’m impressed. Good job, young man,” he said.

''Thank you, Mr. Bane,'' said Max happily and giggled when Magnus ruffled his hair gently.

* * *

 

The rest of the evening passed by in complete joy. After finishing the dinner, the three of them played some family games. In the end, it was Max and Magnus who won most the games and ended up teasing Alec for always losing. As more time passed, Max was growing more and more tired and even though he didn't want to go, he went to bed in the end. For a change, it was Magnus who read him a night time story that night and after the boy fell asleep, Magnus and Alec went back to the living room.

They were currently sitting on the sofa, Alec's hands gripping onto Magnus' shirt as the older male was softly moaning into their deep kiss. Magnus then pulled back and chuckled when Alec’s face came closer to his again. He watched how Alec’s eyes slowly fluttered shut as he came even closer to him and Magnus closed his own eyes when their lips came in contact once more. Magnus placed his fingers under the younger one’s chin and gently lifted his head a little bit so that he could kiss him properly. Alec felt how his heartbeat sped up when Magnus pulled him closer and he gently placed his hands on top of Magnus’ chest, feeling the man’s slow heartbeat. Alec smiled into their slow kiss and then he kissed Magnus back, applying a little bit more pressure to the kiss, making Magnus let out a small gasp.

Alec lifted himself up and then awkwardly straddled Magnus’ legs. The older one watched him in amusement and he then waggled his eyebrows as he placed his hands on Alec’s sides, running them down and stopping them onto his thighs, which made Alec’s body shudder. Alec gave his lover a teasing smirk and then gently pushed him down against the sofa. Magnus was more than glad to obey the command and he wrapped his arms around Alec’s neck and pulled the other one down as he lied back, against the sofa. He then slowly parted his legs and Alec settled his body between them, gaining a gasp of approval from Magnus.

“Magnus,” said Alec and gave Magnus another feverish kiss. “More,” he then whispered into Magnus’ ear and that made pleasurable shivers run up the older one’s spine. As soon as that left Alec’s mouth, Magnus pulled him down for another kiss. He ran his tongue over Alec’s lower lip, begging for entry. Alec moaned when he felt Magnus’ tongue against his lips and he immediately parted his lips, allowing Magnus to explore and taste the warmth of his mouth.

Magnus felt how his body started heating up and he slid his hands down, stopping them onto Alec’s neck for a few moments. As their lips were still locked in an intense kiss, Magnus slid his hands even lower and stopped them onto Alec’s behind, giving it a gentle squeeze, which only made Alec moan into their deep kiss. “F-feels good?” asked Magnus when he broke their kiss for a second. He wanted to say something else, but Alec interrupted him by claiming his lips once more. Magnus took that as a sign that Alec must’ve been feeling good.

Alec then moved his hips a little bit with anticipation burning in his abdomen and when Magnus groaned, Alec moaned as well. He knew that it was risky for them to be in the middle of a make out session in living room; Max could wake up. There was that little voice screaming inside of him to stop, but as Magnus’ hands kept on roaming all around his body made Alec soon forget all about that and he went back to enjoying himself. Magnus slid his fingers under Alec’s shirt and started slowly lifting it up. Just when he was about to remove it, both of them heard how the door of Max’s bedroom suddenly opened and Alec quickly got off of Magnus and started straightening his clothes. Magnus at first didn’t get what was happening, but after seeing that Max entered the room, he soon stood up and cleared his throat. Good thing that Alec’s reflexes were so fast.

“What wrong, Max?” asked Alec and cleared his throat, but his question was answered as soon as he saw Max; the little boy was squeezing his plush tightly to himself and his big eyes were filled with tears. He was having nightmares, again. He quickly hurried to the boy, picked him up and hugged him tightly as Max buried his face into his dad’s shoulder and hiccupped loudly.

Magnus’ heart broke when he saw the state that Max was in and even though he didn’t know what was going on, he wanted to be of some kind of help. However, when he saw how distressed Max looked, he decided not to go closer after all and kept his distance as Alec struggled to calm down the crying and sobbing boy. From what he could make out, Max was woken up by a nightmare and Magnus pressed his lips together.

“Shh, Max, come down, it was just a dream,” whispered Alec and carried the crying boy to the couch, sitting down with Max in his arms and he pressed the boy closer to himself, so that the other would know that he wasn’t alone after all. “I know that it was scary, but whatever you saw, it can’t hurt you. Dreams aren’t real, remember?” tried Alec again, but even that didn’t manage to calm down Max down. Alec then said something under his breath and pressed his lips together. At times like that, he really felt powerless; he wanted to help Max so badly, but he didn’t know how to. It was always like that with his dreams.

Max squeezed his eyes tightly shut, but the dark figure from his dreams flashed in front of his eyes and he let out a loud sob. The dark figure from his dreams was an evil man; Max had a feeling that he had seen him somewhere in real life, but he couldn’t place him where he had met the man. The man was yelling and screaming at him, telling him to be quiet. Because Max was crying in his dreams as well, the dark figure locked the boy into a small and dark room and left him all alone. The feeling of loneliness that he felt scared him and he didn’t want to return to that horrible place. No matter how many times Alec told him that nightmares couldn’t hurt him, it didn’t help. They were still scary to the small boy and he wanted them to be gone, but he didn’t know how to do that.

“What was the dream about, Max?” asked Magnus softly and Alec quickly turned to him, mouthing him a quick ‘no’. Magnus frowned and sighed, if Alec wanted the nightmares to end, he and Max needed to talk about whatever was chasing Max in his dreams. Only that way would he be able to get over them. “Alec, trust me… I know what I’m doing,” he said. “Talking about it helps.”

“I know, but I can’t force him to-”

“T-there was a scary man,” started Max and even though he was scared to talk about his dreams, he felt calmer somehow. Usually his father didn’t force him into telling him whatever was bothering him, because he didn’t want to traumatise the poor child any further, but at that time, Max wanted to tell someone about that scary and awful man from his dreams. He didn’t want to be the only one to know about him.

“Max,” stammered Alec. “You don’t have to-”

“Let him continue, Alec,” said Magnus softly and Alec, who was still rocking the boy back and forth in his arms, let out a deep breath. “You do trust me, right?” whispered Magnus. “I’d never do something that would hurt Max and-”

“I trust you,” said Alec quickly and Magnus chuckled softly, placing his hand on top of Max’s head as he stepped closer to the duo and sat down next to Alec. Max lifted his head up and his tear filled eyes found Magnus’ ones, which were filled with warmth and love. Max knew that he could trust his teacher, he would never hurt him like that terrible man in his dreams.

“Now then, Max,” said Magnus patiently. “What did the man do?”

“H-he was angry with me. H-he told me to be quiet, but I wasn’t,” stammered the boy and Alec pressed his lips together when Max’s body started shivering with fear as he started to remember his dream again. “A-and then, he got really angry. He locked me inside of a dark and scary place,” said Max with a small voice. “I-I tried to get out, b-but the door didn’t open. A-and then I heard him laughing and I was all alone and it was so scary,” added Max and looked at Magnus, whose heart pained, but he didn’t let that show on his face.

“I see,” whispered Magnus. “That sounds like a scary dream to have,” he said and Max nodded. “But there is a way to make your dream less scary, you know?” said Magnus after a while and Max’s eyes widened in curiosity. Magnus smiled and was glad to see that Max wasn’t crying anymore. He still looked upset, but it was a lot better than before. “Well, if that man visits you in your dream again, tell him that you made a new friend and if he tries to bother you, just tell him that that friend is going to turn him into an ugly frog,” he added, trying to be funny and pressed his lips, because he didn’t know if it would work. However, after a second or so, Max’s face brightened and a quiet, but happy giggle escaped past his lips.

Magnus let out a relieved sigh and looked at Alec, who wasn’t smiling for some reason. His face was dark with worry and anger, making Magnus think that he was angry of him. He might’ve said too much; Max was Alec’s son and not his after all. That was something that Magnus needed to remind himself quite a few times. Alec, on the other hand, was angry, but not at Magnus. The things that Max described, all happened in real life. When he adopted Max, the people in the orphanage told him that Max’s father was an alcoholic, and so was his mother. When they didn’t want to deal with their son, they would lock him into a closet. When child services came to pick Max up, they found him in a closet and from what he was told, he was in a horrible condition. So, what Max dreamed about really happened, he was just too young to remember it.

“Alexander?” asked Magnus and that finally brought Alec back to reality. Alec’s expression suddenly changed and he forced a smile as he looked at Magnus, who wore a troubled expression on his face. Alec puffed his cheeks and looked at Max, who was now in a better mood.

“Feeling better?” stammered Alec.

“Yes! I’ll turn that man into a frog if he comes to my dreams again,” joked Max and even though he was still bothered by the dream, he felt a lot better thank to his dad and Magnus.

“Do you think you’ll be able to go back to sleep?” asked Alec softly and Max bravely nodded.

“Yes, but,” said Max and made a short pause. “C-can you sleep with me tonight, daddy?” asked Max and Alec nodded, because he was more than happy to do that. He picked up Max again and carried the boy into his room, climbing on top of Max’s bed with his son in his arms. Magnus, on the other hand, decided to wait in the living room for a few moments. He didn’t know if he should follow Alec or not; he looked really angry before. However, as 20 minutes passed, Magnus slowly made his way to Max’s bedroom and peaked inside, chuckling when he saw that the other two were already both soundly asleep. Even though he didn't want to disturb Max, he slowly stepped inside, his heart melting at the sight of the two of them; they were adorable.

Max was adorable as always, but there was just something about Alec's sleeping face that had completely captivated the man and he couldn't tear his eyes away from his boyfriend. With a chuckle, Magnus sat down onto the chair, which was placed next to Max's bed and bit into his lower lip as he leaned closer to Alec. He had a face of an angel when he slept, like usually, but he looked much younger now. Magnus removed some of the hair from Alec's forehead and grinned when Alec's eyebrows moved at the touch and he mumbled something that Magnus couldn't make out what it was. That warmed the man's heart and he leaned closer, placing his lips on top of Alec's lips and smiled when he saw that that woke the younger one up. Pity, he could have some more fun.

Alec slowly opened his eyes when he felt something being pressed against his lips and he smiled when he saw that Magnus kissed him. He was confused at first, but then realised that he must've fallen asleep with Max. ''You were awaken by my kiss,'' said Magnus and Alec rolled his eyes. ''Maybe I do posses some magic after all,'' he said and chuckled when Alec raised one of his eyebrows. ''I'm your prince Charming,'' joked Magnus.

''That you are,'' hummed Alec in agreement. ''You're very dashing.''

''Why, thank you,'' whispered Magnus and grinned when Alec sat up and kissed him as well. ''How are you?'' asked Magnus then and his face became serious. ''You looked angry when I was talking with Max before… Did I say too much?''

''No, you said nothing wrong,'' said Alec and made a short pause. ''Max's nightmares… are actually memories that he can't really remember because he was too young. I mentioned that Max's biological parents were horrible to him, right?'' asked Alec and looked at the sleeping boy. Magnus nodded, but didn't say anything. ''Even I don't know all of the details, but what I do know is that they found Max locked in a closet,'' said Alec and Magnus' eyes widened. ''The explanation that those people gave was that it was their way of quieting down a crying child… by locking him away.''

''Oh, god,'' whispered Magnus.

''Yeah,'' said Alec. ''Thank god, he's a lot better now. The therapist that is working with him managed to help him out so much. And there's you as well… and my family. I'm happy to see him smiling these days,'' said Alec and looked down when Magnus took his hand and linked their fingers together.

''I'm glad to be able to be a part of his life,'' muttered Magnus and looked up at Alec. ''And yours, of course,'' he then quickly added and Alec couldn't help but to kiss his boyfriend.

After that, the two of them continued to talk there for quite some time, until they both fell asleep next to Max. While Alec was sleeping on the bed, Magnus fell asleep right on that chair, his hand still holding Alec's as they slept. When morning came, it was Max that woke up the first time, that time without any nightmares. He rubbed his tired eyes as he slowly got up into sitting position and his eyes widened when he saw his father sleeping next to him. What surprised him even more was the fact that Mr. Bane was soundly asleep in the chair and a bright smile spread across the boy's face when he saw that Alec and Magnus were holding hands.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your support, it always makes me so motivated when I see that people actually enjoy what I write :) I seriously couldn't do it without you guys ^^  
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter, it was a bit longer than usual.  
> Comments & opinions are well appreciated :)


	10. Chapter 10

It was the end of the second day of the school trip that Alec had agreed to go along with Magnus, Max and the rest of the children. So far, he was having a good time. The days were filled with fun activities and even though he didn’t spend a lot of time alone with Magnus, that didn’t really matter. He was happy that he got to be a part of the trip and what made him even happier was the fact that he was able to witness Max playing around with his classmates. Up until then, he had made quite a few friends, so there was nothing stopping the little boy from having fun and Alec knew that Max must’ve liked the fact that he came along to the school trip as well.

Currently, Alec was in his room and was lying on the bed. It was still pretty early, but the kids had already gone to sleep. Since Magnus was one of the teachers, he had to share the room with a group of children, in which Max was as well. Alec, on the other hand, was the only one who was granted his own room and even though he thought that it would be nice to be all alone after a long day with children and other parents, he wasn’t so sure anymore. He was tempted to go out and seek out for Magnus, who would go hang out with other teachers after the kids would fall asleep, but in the end decided not to do that. He could see the stares from the others when he and Magnus would be together; it was very obvious the relationship they shared. Since Alec didn’t know if that would cause Magnus problems or not, he decided to stay in his room and if Magnus wanted to see him, he would seek him out on his own; he knew where he was.

Magnus, on the other hands, was still with children, which finally fell asleep and he turned off the lights, leaving the door open, so that the light from the hallway lightened up the children’s room. Some of them were still afraid of sleeping in complete darkness and because he didn’t want to traumatise anyone, that was the best solution. After that, he walked over to the room where most of the teachers and parents were, expecting to see Alec there as well. However, he was faced with disappointment when he couldn’t see his boyfriend there and he frowned. If he wasn’t there, then he must’ve been in his room. With that on his mind, Magnus left the others and walked towards the younger one’s room.

As Alec heard a knock on the door, he was on his legs in a second and walked over to the door, unlocking it and he smiled when he saw Magnus standing there. “Here you are, I was searching for you,” said Magnus and Alec chuckled, opening the door wider for the older one. Magnus smiled back as well and then stepped inside of the room when Alec held the door open wider for him to step inside. “How come you aren’t with the others? They were asking about you, you know.”

“I’m not really in the mood to talk to others. But I’m happy to see you,” said Alec and yawned, sitting back down on his bed and looked up at Magnus, who arched an eyebrow and waited for an explanation. “I’m really tired. I had a great time with you and the others today, but running after the children all day long is… exhausting. Fun, but exhausting,” he then quickly added and Magnus chuckled, because he knew what Alec meant.

“You lack stamina, darling,” joked Magnus and sat down next to Alec.

“Hmm?” hummed Alec and his smile grew as Magnus was coming closer to his face and chuckled when their lips met in a short, but sweet kiss. “You clearly don’t, huh?” joked Alec back.

“Of course not, I still have plenty of energy saved up,” muttered Magnus and gently held Alec’s face and pushed his face closer, giving him another kiss that lasted slightly longer. He would’ve wanted to do much more than to just kiss the other one, but he would have to be satisfied with just a kiss for the time being. Alec’s eyes closed as he kissed Magnus back and they parted in the end after exchanging a few more sweet kisses.

“Did Max manage to sleep all on his own today?” asked Alec when he remembered that Max had some troubles with falling asleep the previous night with the room full of other children. He could see that his son was troubled, but knowing that Magnus would sleep in the same room as well made him calm enough to fall asleep after some time. To manage to achieve that, Magnus allowed Max to fall sleep with him on his bed and then he carried the sleeping boy onto his own bed.

“Yeah,” said Magnus and smiled as looked at Alec. “There were no troubles today. Probably because he was too tired for worrying as well. We’ve walked quite a lot today, so it’s no wonders that they all fell asleep in within fifteen minutes,” said Magnus and chuckled when Alec yawned and nodded in agreement. That sight of Alec was adorable as well and the older one buried his fingers deep into Alec’s hair and the younger one let out a small gasp of approval, absolutely loving the way that Magnus’ fingers were massaging his scalp. “You look terribly exhausted as well,” muttered Magnus and grinned. “Want me to tuck you in and read you a bed time story as well?”

Alec’s cheeks coloured themselves into bright pink colour and he scrunched his nose at Magnus’ words. “I’m not a child, Magnus,” stated Alec, but just as he said that, he yawned again and Magnus’ soft laughter filled the bedroom. “Hilarious,” said Alec dryly, but smiled in the end as well when the older male kissed the tip of his nose.

“You’re adorable, Alexander,” whispered Magnus and placed a hand on top of Alec’s chest, gently pushing him back against the bed. “But you do look tired,” he then added when he saw dark circles under Alec’s eyes and gained an eye roll from his boyfriend. In the end, Alec ended up lying down and was more than glad to see that Magnus laid down with his as well. “Sleep. I’ll be here until you fall asleep, okay?” asked Magnus and Alec slowly nodded.

 Alec looked into Magnus’ eyes and then took the older’s hand into his own, bringing both of their hands up to his lips. He gently held Magnus’ hand with his own and made sure that he pressed a kiss against his every finger. Magnus raised his eyebrows, but allowed Alec to do as he pleased and warmth exploded inside of his chest when Alec moved closer and gently touched his cheek with his thumb, gently running it up and down. Alec then ran a finger over Magnus’ full, soft lips and the other slowly parted them, gasping at the touch.

“You’re beautiful,” blurted out Alec and even though his face burned with embarrassment, he did nothing to hide how embarrassed he really was. A shy smile spread across his face when he saw that Magnus looked a bit taken back from his sudden words and he chuckled. “You’re perfect,” he then added, his voice shaking just a little bit.

Magnus’ eyes widened when Alec called him beautiful and his heart started beating just a little bit faster. Getting compliments was nothing new to Magnus, but being called beautiful by Alec really was something else, and he was unable to hold back his smile when he saw that Alec looked a bit nervous and embarrassed. That man meant the world to Magnus and it was scary just how deeply in love he was with him. “I love you, Alexander,” whispered Magnus against Alec’s lips. They both knew how they felt about each other, but saying those words out loud for the first time made those feelings even stronger and more real.

“Magnus,” stammered Alec. He gently gripped the fabric of the man’s shirt and pulled him closer, so that he could give him a proper kiss. “I love you too,” he said and bit into his lower lip when Magnus’ smile widened. “So much.”

“I know,” said Magnus and chuckled. “Come here,” he then added and their lips met in yet another kiss.

* * *

 

It was the last day of the school trip and the kids were currently doing their last activity of the day. The kids were divided into groups of four and each group had to do a short presentation about what they liked the most about the trip. While the kids were working on their projects, the teachers and parents were walking around the room and helped the kids whenever they needed some advice or help from the grownups. Alec was currently sitting near one of the groups and his eyes were on Magnus, who was currently helping Max’s group and he chuckled when Max looked to him and waved to him. The young man then crossed his arms on top of his chest and then walked closer to one of the other groups, which called for his help.

Max wasn’t too fond of work in groups, but because he had his dad and Magnus there, he decided that he wouldn’t make a scene, he didn’t want to embarrass his dad in front of other people. When Magnus walked away, Max’s smile faltered just a little bit, because he started thinking about talking in front of others and he didn’t like that one bit. Also, he was in a group with that annoying kid Richie, which insulted his family about a month ago. Even though the blonde boy apologised to him, Max still didn’t like him too much. He would be much rather in some other group, but since no other groups wanted to have Richie on their team, the teachers decided where the blonde boy was going to be.

Pushing those thoughts away, Max’s mood brightened just a little bit when he started thinking about the fun trip that he had. They were out in nature for the most parts and Max had a lot of fun playing around with his friends, his dad and Mr. Bane. Even though he couldn’t spend time alone with the other two, he was still beyond happy and he wished that every day could be like that… spending time together with Mr. Bane and his dad was really fun. The boy could also tell that his dad liked spending time with Magnus. Despite his young age, Max had a feeling that his dad like Mr. Bane in _that_ kind of way. If that happened to be the truth, Max would be beyond happy. Then, Mr. Bane and his dad could get married and Magnus could become his new dad. Max’s eyes sparkled when he continued to think about Magnus being a part of their family and he giggled happily when he glanced at Magnus and Alec, which were currently busy with chatting with each other.

“And what did you like the most?” asked a girl , Wendy, that was sitting down next to Max and the boy quickly looked at her, remembering that they were still working on that project. Since the girl was his friend, the little boy smiled and pressed his little palms together as he started thinking about it; when did he have the most fun? In the end, he came to the conclusion that finding the secret treasure was the most fun and his eyes lit up.

“The secret treasure,” muttered the boy slowly and looked around, to see if the others were going to agree with him. He was kind of used to other kids usually not agreeing with him that he was half of expecting them to ignore him, but he smiled when all of them, even Richie, nodded.

“Yeah, searching for the treasure was fun,” said the other boy in their group and Max proudly smiled. “What did you like, Wendy?” asked Max the girl.

“Playing hide and seek with you,” muttered the girl and Max’s cheeks heated up at that. The boy opened his mouth to say something, but then quickly closed them back and looked down, covering his red face with his palms. He wanted to say that he liked playing the game with her too, but ended up not saying anything. There was a weird feeling present in his tummy again, but it was different from the usual.

Alec frowned when he saw Max hiding his face and he signed Magnus to come closer. “Something’s weird,” muttered Alec and pointed to Max, who was now looking down and his face was still bright red, making Alec narrow his eyes. Max was talking with a girl, but seemed too shy to look up at her. “Don’t tell me-”

“It looks like little Max has a crush on someone,” said Magnus and chuckled as Max struggled to talk to his friend. Alec’s smile widened as well and he covered his mouth as he started laughing; Max was beyond precious. “It’s so cute,” commented Magnus as he sat down next to Alec and gently nudged Alec’s leg with his own. “He’s just like you around people that he likes… so easily embarrassed,” whispered the older one then and Alec rolled his eyes.

After that, the kids told their presentations in front of everyone. Because Max was too shy to talk, other members of his group talked, but no one really minded that too much. As expected, most of the children picked up the search after the secret treasure to be their favourite activity on that trip. As they were done with the projects, they still had some more free time and the kids spent it by playing around the playroom. Just as expected, Max was playing mostly with Wendy. Alec watched the two of them play with a huge smile on his face.

As the day was coming to an end, it was soon a time for them to leave. Max was quite disappointed that they had to leave, but at the same time, he couldn’t wait to be back home in his room. When they parted for the trip, Max sat together with Alec on the bus, because he didn’t want to share a sit with other kids, so Alec was pleasantly surprised when Max asked him if it was okay for him to sit with someone else.

“Daddy, is it okay if I sit with someone else on the bus?” asked the boy as they were waiting for the bus and Alec blinked a few times, but he quickly nodded.

“Of course it is,” said Alec and chuckled, gently ruffling the boy’s hair.

“But,” started Max and pressed his hands together behind his back. “Won’t you be lonely?”

“Hmm? I’ll be okay, I’ll ask Mr. Bane to sit with me, so don’t worry,” said Alec, finding it adorable that Max cared so much about the matter. “And who will you sit, if you don’t mind me asking?” asked Alec, even though he already knew the answer.

“With Wendy,” said the boy and Alec chuckled when Max blushed again.

“All right,” said Alec and smiled when Max’s eyes lit up and he literally ran up to the girl, to tell her that his father said that it was okay for them to sit together.

When the bus came and after they were done with getting everyone on board and making sure that they had all of the kids on the bus, they finally parted to go back home. Alec was sitting in front of the bus, with the rest of parents and teachers and smiled when someone gently tapped him onto the shoulder. “Is the sit taken?” asked Magnus and Alec shook his head.

“It’s all yours,” said Alec with a smile and Magnus quickly sat down.

“I see that Max decided to sit with his friends,” said the older one.

“Yeah, he’s sitting with the girl that he likes,” muttered Alec happily and Magnus chuckled.

The way back home wasn’t exactly short, so Magnus ended up falling asleep as he was talking with Alec. The younger one chuckled and gently placed Magnus’ head on top of his shoulder and then rested his own head on top of Magnus’. Even though he himself wasn’t sleeping, he closed his eyes and a bright smile spread across his face as he gently held Magnus’ hand, not caring anymore what others thought about their relationship anymore. Besides, no one really paid attention to them, since they were too busy with dealing with the kids.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few chapters back, "vulturemonem" suggested the idea of Magnus inviting Alec to come along on the school trip, so I decided to include it into the fanfic, because I thought that it would be really fun to write it, which it was ^^. I wanted to include more of ''activities'' into the chapter, but right now I'm sick and was too tired to do so~. I'm a bit disappointed, to be honest, but it is what it is xD  
> I hope you still liked the chapter ^^  
> Thanks for all of your lovely comments and your support.
> 
> Comments & opinions are well appreciated :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus meets some of Alec's family

''Oh this is so exciting,'' squealed Isabelle and earned a horrified look from her older brother. “I can’t believe we’re finally going to meet Magnus,” she then went on by saying, not hiding her excitement at all. At the moment, Alec, Isabelle, Jace and Clary were all hanging out in Alec’s apartment. After three months of dating Magnus, Alec finally came to the conclusion that it was about time that his other family members met Magnus as well. Since the grownups have decided to go out after that, Max was currently spending time with his grandparents, since it had been quite some time that he had last seen them. Also, in boy’s opinion, he knew that the grownups were probably going to be discussing about something boring again.

“It took you long enough to introduce him to us,” commented Jace and chuckled when he saw that Alec looked rather nervous about the whole ‘meeting the family’ thing. Alec wasn’t exactly nervous, but he was a bit impatient to see how things were going to go. Alec rarely introduced the people that he was dating to his family; so all of them were pleasantly surprised when Alec finally decided that it was okay for them to meet. On the other hand, Alec still wasn’t ready for Magnus to meet his parents. They indeed were his family, but the young man had his reasons. “I mean you’ve been dating this guy, for what… about three months now? And you still haven’t told me anything about him,” muttered Jace, pressing his lips together and he crossed his arms on top of his chest. “Back in the day, you used to tell me everything. I’m deeply hurt.”

“Of course you are,” said Alec and rolled his eyes as he was still pacing around his apartment. He could see that Clary’s eyes were on him and when he glanced at her, the girl gave him a warm smile and signed him to sit next to her. In the end, Alec nodded and sat down next to Clary, who placed her hand gently onto his shoulder, trying to calm him down a bit. The two of them still weren’t that close, so it was a bit awkward. However, ever since Jace and she got married, Clary could tell that Alec was trying really hard on making their relationship work as well.

“I’m sure everything’s gonna be okay,” said the redhead and smiled. “You worry way too much. I promise to be on my best behaviour,” she then added, joking of course and Alec just let out a nervous laugh.

“Oh, I’m not worried about you,” said Alec, half joking, half serious. “I’m more worried about those two,” he then added and pointed to Isabelle and Jace, who both had smirks plastered over their faces and Alec’s face darkened. He didn’t like it when they got like that. At all. “Izzy, please promise me you won’t smother him with questions.”

“Me?!” asked Isabelle and in a dramatic way placed a hand over her heart. “When have I ever?”

“Oh, funny,” stated Alec dryly and his reaction made Jace laugh out loud. Alec sent him an angry look, which quieted down the blonde almost immediately, but the annoying smile remained on his face and at the moment Alec wished nothing but to find a way to wipe that annoying grin off of Jace’s face.

“Don’t worry, dude,” said Jace in the end. “Come on, you know us. We don’t bite… usually,” he then added and all that Alec could really do at that point was to press a palm against his forehead and he let out a loud groan.

“Jace, stop being an idiot,” muttered Clary and Alec sent her a grateful look; at least someone in the room was taking him seriously. Jace narrowed his eyes as he looked towards his wife and when he was about to say something as a protest, Clary quieted him down with a quick kiss. He wasn’t annoying Alec only, Clary as well was quite annoyed with Jace and she let out a small sigh.

After a few moments or so, the doorbell finally rang and Isabelle was already on her legs, walking towards the door as she wanted to be the first one to greet Alec’s boyfriend. “He’s here already,” announced Isabelle as she was happily walking towards the door. Horrified, Alec quickly followed her to the door and nervously chewed on his lower lip as he watched how Isabelle opened the door and greeted his boyfriend.

Magnus was in a good mood that day, because he was finally going to meet some of Alec’s family. He’d heard so many stories about them, so he was really eager on meeting them. He laughed when Alec warned him about them, especially about his sister Isabelle. According to Alec, she’d attack him with all sorts of questions, which in Magnus’ opinion was completely understandable. Yet, the way that Alec said it, made him laugh. When he found himself in front of Alec’s apartment, he didn’t waste any more time and quickly rang the door. He smiled, because he could hear clacking sounds of heels coming closer to the door, which was followed by the sound of a loud groan and long, heavy footsteps coming to the door as well. Magnus rubbed his palms together when the door opened and smiled politely to the person, who opened the door for him.

“Hello, there,” said Magnus slowly and his smile widened when he saw a girl, with dark hair, just like Alec’s, who was wearing a short black mini dress, thigh high boots. He could already tell that that was Alec’s sister, Isabelle. “How’s it going?” he then asked and chuckled when he noticed Alec peaking in the back. For some reason, Alec wore a nervous expression on his face.

“Hello,” said Isabelle happily and extended her arm immediately, slowly shaking Magnus’ hand. Isabelle blinked a few times as she continued to stare at the older man and she could see it immediately why her brother was so quickly drawn to the man. He was _gorgeous._ Not only did the skinny jeans and the oversized sweater that he was wearing made him look amazing, but he was wearing makeup as well and Isabelle couldn’t look away for quite some time. “I’m Isabelle, Alec’s sister,” she then finally said and opened the door wider, so that Magnus could step inside. “But you can call me Izzy.”

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Izzy,” said Magnus and straightened his clothes a bit when he was inside of Alec’s apartment and gave Alec one of his warmest smiles. “I’ve heard a lot about you so far,” he then quickly added and Isabelle hummed in amusement as she stepped closer to her older brother and gently nudged him.

“I hope that my big brother told you just the good stuff,” she teased and Magnus nodded. “Now then, come and meet the others,” she then added and disappeared into the kitchen, because she sensed that Alec wanted to have a moment alone with Magnus.

“Hey, you okay?” asked Magnus and beamed up at his boyfriend, who slowly nodded and leaned down to press their lips together a few times. “Your sister seems nice,” he then added and Alec shrugged.

“Don’t let her fool you just yet,” said Alec slowly, because he knew that the questions were going to come at one point or the other. At Alec’s words, Magnus swallowed back a chuckle and then slowly took Alec’s hand into his own. “Now then, follow me so that you can meet Clary and Jace as well,” said Alec slowly and guided Magnus into his living room.

Magnus slowly nodded and allowed himself to be pulled across the room, slowly following Alec into the living room. Next to Isabelle, there were sitting Jace and Clary. When they were done introducing themselves, silence fell between them and Magnus pressed his lips together. He could tell that the others wanted to start a conversation with him, but with Alec being so nervous, none of them dared to speak. Magnus frowned at that and puffed his cheeks, gently placing a hand over Alec’s leg.

“Darling, you’re terribly nervous,” commented Magnus. “What’s the matter?”

“He’s worried that we’re going to embarrass him,” blurted out Jace and tried his best to hold back his laughter when Alec looked at him.

“He’s worrying way too much,” muttered Clary and Isabelle nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, you need to loosen up a bit, big bro,” said Isabelle and Alec groaned.

The tips of Alec’s ears coloured themselves into bright red colour and Magnus’ soft laughter filled the room. Alec was even more adorable than usual now that he was in presence of his family. Alec looked at Magnus, who was to his horror laughing as well and all of the colour rushed into his head. However, he calmed down when Magnus linked their fingers together as they were still holding hands. “Yeah, you’re right, I guess,” stammered Alec and in the end managed a weak smile.

“That’s it,” said Magnus when he saw a smile appearing on Alec’s face and pressed a quick kiss against Alec’s temple. “Stop filling your pretty little head with useless worries and just start enjoying yourself,” he then added and Alec’s face heated up when he heard muffled laughter from Jace. However, this time, the blonde’s shoulder received a well-deserved punch from his sister. Then, it was Jace’s turn to stop pouting and for a moment, he decided to ignore everyone around him, so that his big ego could cool off.

“Now then,” started Isabelle and rubbed her palms together. Alec glanced at his sister and closed his eyes, because he knew that the answers were going to start. “Tell us something about yourself,” said Isabelle and Alec managed to hold back his groan of annoyance

“Hmm?” asked Magnus and pressed his lips together. “Like what?”

“Anything really,” said Clary.

“Let’s see,” started Magnus and chuckled when he saw that Alec wanted to disappear from the face of the Earth at the moment. “I’m 28, currently living in Brooklyn,” said Magnus slowly and gained an eye roll from Jace.

“We know _that_ ,” said the blonde one. “I don’t know, you could tell us how the two of you met and-”

“You know how they met, Jace… he’s Max’s teacher,” said Clary and gave her husband a look, which made Magnus laugh out loud. Jace might’ve been pleasant on the eyes, but he was apparently quite an airhead, wasn’t he?

“I mean, honestly Jace?” asked Isabelle and narrowed her eyes.

“I know,” whined the blonde one. “Could you just please let me finish?” he then asked and both Clary and Isabelle stopped talking for the time being. “Thank you,” he then said and made a short pause, before he continued. “Now then,” said Jace and his usual smirk appeared on his face again. “How was Alec when he first saw you? Usually, when he sees someone that he fancies, he’s hilariously clumsy.”

“Gee, thanks, Jace,” said Alec and crossed his arms back on top of his chest. “You’re no better just so you know. When you first met Clary, and I mean no offence to you right now,” he said and made a short pause as he looked at Clary, who just shook her head and smiled. “You were constantly making an ass of yourself and-”

“Come on boys, calm down,” said Isabelle.

“We’re not at kindergarten anymore,” added Clary and gained a chuckle from Magnus.

“We might at least still be,” said Alec and looked down, sulking as everyone around him was holding back their laughter. Magnus sighed and placed his hand on top of Alec’s head and gently ruffled his head. The man knew that his friends meant no harm, they were just teasing him, but it was only for fun. That was something that Alec knew as well, so he wasn’t in particularly angry with anyone. Yet, he decided that it was completely reasonable to sulk some more. However, a smile cracked his serious expression when Magnus whispered something into his ear and he slowly nodded.

Magnus then pressed a light kiss on top of Alec’s lips and the younger one returned him a quick kiss, which didn’t last more than a second. As the two of them were lost in their own world, Jace received a light punch on the shoulder and he looked to Clary, who was in the middle of pouting. “What did I do now? I didn’t even say anything.”

“That’s not it,” whined Clary. “Why aren’t you so sweet to me like that anymore?”

“God, not this again,” said Jace and rolled his eyes, everyone in the room, including Jace bursting into loud laughter.

“But on more serious note,” said Isabelle and both Magnus and Alec looked at her. “I’m really happy for the two of you. Both Alec and Max seem a lot happier ever since they met you. You don’t know how happy I am for my big brother,” she then added and Magnus sent her a warm smile.

“Yeah, it’s really nice to see Max smiling after all he’s been put through so far,” said Clary and nodded in agreement. Jace, on the other hand, didn’t say anything. He wasn’t into the whole touchy-feely subjects, but just his fast pat on the back was enough to let Alec know that he was thinking the same and he gave his brother a warm smile as well.

“It’s been a pleasure, really,” said Magnus. “But you’re giving me far too much credit. And also,” he said and made a short pause. “I could say the same about Alec and Max; they both make me a happier man,” added Magnus and Alec’s face heated up just a little bit.

“Ah, man, you two are too lovey-dovey,” complained Jace and all of them burst into laughter again.

“So where should we go?” asked Clary after a while.

“To the mall,” was Isabelle’s first preposition and Clary quickly nodded in agreement. “We could go shopping there,” she went on by saying and Magnus chuckled when Alec and Jace looked at each other and made a face.

“Oh, they also have a bowling alley there, so we could go bowling after shopping!” said Clary happily.

“Not a fan of bowling,” said Magnus. “But shopping does sound fun,” he then quickly added and Isabelle in particular looked too happy in Alec’s opinion. Alec opened his mouth to say something in protest, but Magnus shushed him by saying, “You’re in no opposition to decline the offer, darling. I’ve seen your closet, you need something new to wear.”

“Finally, someone agrees,” said Isabelle.

“What are you laughing at?” asked Clary when she noticed that Jace was having too much fun and she gently poked him. “Shopping will do you good as well,” she then added playfully.

“What is that supposed to mean?” asked Jace, offended. He frowned when Clary just giggled in response and looked at Isabelle, who appeared to agree with the redhead. “Clary?” whined Jace and looked at his wife. “Stop laughing and-”

“Shopping it is then,” said Isabelle happily and clapped with her hands. “Oh, this is going to be so fun,” she went on by saying. “You could also show me what kind of makeup you’re using, Magnus,” said Isabelle, who was still impressed by Magnus’ shimmery eyeshadow.

“Sounds good,” said Magnus and chuckled when Alec gently tugged onto his sleeve and mouthed him a ‘Bad idea, Magnus.’ Not thinking of it too much, Magnus put Alec’s worries to peace by kissing his temple.

They’ve spent some more time talking with each other and just as they were about to leave, Isabelle’s phone started ringing. Much to Alec’s suspicion, it was Izzy’s boyfriend, Simon, who he wasn’t that fond of either. Simon was far too loud for Alec’s liking and for the most parts, he didn’t find his jokes funny, because he didn’t get them. But Izzy appeared to be happy with the guy, so Alec never made any comments against their relationship. Plus, he could see that Simon really cared about his sister.

“Alec, Simon is asking if he can come along to the mall with us,” asked Isabelle, who was still on the phone with Simon and Alec rolled his eyes. Of course the other one wanted to join them. It was kind of suspicious that Simon didn’t join them in Alec’s apartment. But there he was.

“Who’s Simon?” asked Magnus.

“Izzy’s boyfriend,” said Alec.

“Alec doesn’t like him very much,” said Clary with a small voice. Pity, Simon was her childhood friend and she really didn’t get it why Alec disliked him that much.

“Alec doesn’t like anyone,” joked Jace and kissed Clary’s cheek. “It shouldn’t bother you by now anymore.”

“So, can he come along or not?” asked Isabelle, still on the phone and was slowly running out of patience.

Alec glanced at Magnus, who just shrugged and then sighed. “Fine, he can come as well.”

“Yay,” said Izzy happily. “You can come along. We’ll meet in front of the mall in fifteen minutes, okay?”

* * *

 

After the long day, Alec was exhausted and he was more than happy when he came back home. Magnus and the others had already left, because it was pretty late into the day and most of them still had other things to do. Alec would’ve love to spend more time with his boyfriend, but the older one had a meeting for teachers in the preschool, so in the end, Alec had to return back home alone. He was kind of disappointed and the house felt empty, since Max was still with Maryse and Robert. As he waited for his son to come back, his thoughts wandered off to Magnus and the others from before, a smile tugging at his lips. Things went better than expected.

In the end, they really did go shopping, but neither Jace nor Alec liked it that much. As Clary was trying to get her husband to try on some new clothes, Izzy and Magnus were trying to give Alec a makeover as well. For their sake, he tried the clothes on, but later they all agreed that he looked ridiculous. After two excruciating hours, the shopping was finally over and they went bowling. Alec could see that Magnus wasn’t too eager, but in the end, his boyfriend started enjoying himself. As they were playing, they split into three groups; Alec and Magnus were in one, Clary and Jace in the second and Isabelle and Simon were in the third one. Unfortunately, Magnus and Alec lost, but they didn’t really care since they got to spend time alone as the other two groups were competing for first place.

Alec chuckled and shook his head. The whole day went better than he imagined. He was beyond happy that all of them were so accepting of Magnus and he could tell that all of them were genuinely happy for him; even Simon. Alec then sent a short text to Magnus, saying that he was home and he asked him how the meeting was going. Magnus replied back, saying that he was bored out of his mind and Alec’s mood brightened as they continued on texting for a few more minutes. Then, there was a knock at the door and Alec quickly hurried to the front door, where his parents and Max were. It didn’t take for Maryse and Robert to leave and Alec was quite content when he was finally alone with Max, who appeared to be in a wonderful mood.

“Did you have a good time, Max?” asked Alec softly and Max quickly nodded as he climbed up onto the sofa and then sat into his father’s lap.

“Yes,” replied Max as he beamed up at his father’s face. “Grandpa and grandma took me to an amusement park,” said the boy happily and clapped with his little hands excitedly. “We went on the Ferris wheel,” went on by saying Max and he then giggled. “Grandma didn’t like it very much. She was afraid and was angry with grandpa, because he was poking fun at her.”

“Hmm? Really?” asked Alec and smiled, even though he couldn’t imagine it. His parents were usually pretty reserved, so he was actually surprised to see how much they changed when Max was around. “Sounds like fun. Next time we should go there.”

“With Mr. Bane?” asked Max happily and his eyes literally lit up.

“Yes, with him,” said Alec and pressed a kiss on top of Max’s head.

“What about you, daddy? Did you have fun?” asked Max and his eyes got big, full of curiosity.

“We went shopping,” said Alec and scrunched his nose, making Max giggle. “Aunt Izzy and Magnus got me to wear some pretty silly clothes,” muttered Alec and pressed his lips together. “But then we went bowling.”

“Oh,” said Max. “Did you win, daddy, did you win?”

“No,” said Alec and Max giggled. “Me and Mr. Bane lost. It was aunt Izzy and Simon that won, surprisingly,” said Alec and smiled when he remembered how pissed Jace was about the second place. “You should see uncle Jace’s face, he’s such a sore loser.”

“Uncle Jace is silly,” said Max and nodded in agreement.

“That he is,” said Alec and started laughing. “Now then,” started Alec and made a short pause. “Tell me more about your day, I’m pretty sure that it was more exciting than mine.”

“Okay,” said Max and took in a deep breath, before he started explaining about the wonderful time that he had with Robert and Maryse in the amusement park.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really bad at writing scenes where there's a lot of people TT   
> So I hope that it was okay and hopefully they weren't that OOC xD  
> As always, thanks for your support, it means a lot ^^
> 
> Comments & opinions are well appreciated


	12. Chapter 12

It was a Saturday morning and Alec was sitting in the living room, waiting for Magnus to come over. Since it was pretty early in the morning, Max was still asleep and Alec played with his fingers in his lap out of boredom. He then smiled as he leaned back against the sofa and took a sip of hot coffee that he had just prepared for himself. On the coffee table, there was another cup, waiting for Magnus and a smile tugged at the young man’s face when he started thinking how happy Max was going to be when he’d see Magnus there. Alec didn’t tell that Magnus was coming over, because he wanted it to be a surprise. Also, he felt a bit nervous as well; after a lot of thinking, he and Magnus came to a conclusion that it was about time to tell Max about their relationship; the boy deserved to know.

When the doorbell rang, Alec was on his legs almost immediately and he hurried to the front door, smiling widely when he saw his boyfriend standing there. Magnus’ smile brightened as well when he saw the younger one and did nothing when Alec gently tugged onto his jacket and pulled him inside of his apartment, locking their lips into a long and sweet kiss. Magnus chuckled when Alec’s arms found their way around his waist and he allowed Alec to press his body against his back, leaning back as Alec pressed a few kisses against his nape. Alec’s soft and warm lips felt great against his cold skin and Magnus had to force himself to open his eyes and turn around in Alec’s arms, so that they were facing each other.

“Morning,” whispered Alec and buried his face into the crook of the older’s neck and inhaled deeply, allowing Magnus’ scent to fill him completely and he smiled. Being like this felt like home and Magnus chuckled when he felt Alec pressing kisses against his neck as well. He buried his fingers deep into his boyfriend’s hair and Alec let out a hum of approval when he felt Magnus’ fingers grazing against his scalp.

“Morning to you, too,” said Magnus and chuckled when Alec finally pulled back with a final kiss. Magnus loved spending mornings with Alec; the younger one was always clingy in the morning. As Magnus stepped into the living room, he could smell a freshly made coffee and he looked at Alec. “Did you make us coffee, darling?” asked Magnus softly and Alec nodded, walking past Alec and reached over to the coffee table, handing Magnus the cup that was meant for him.

“Here,” said Alec awkwardly as he handed the cup to Magnus and the older one was more than happy to take the cup into his hands and he quickly took a sip of the coffee.

“Thanks,” said Magnus and slowly made his way to the sofa, sitting down onto it. “I needed this, it’s so early,” he then commented and Alec chuckled as he sat down next to the man as well, who continued sipping on his coffee. “I assume that Max is still asleep?” asked Magnus then and Alec nodded.

“Yeah, on the weekends, I let him sleep in a bit,” said Alec. “I didn’t tell him that you’re coming over,” said Alec then and Magnus looked at him. “I wanted it to be a surprise for him,” quickly added the younger one and Magnus nodded.

“I see,” said Magnus and smiled. “Well, I sure hope that he’s gonna be delighted,” went on by saying the older one and Alec quickly nodded in agreement.

As some more time passed, the two of them continued to talk about random things and were slowly sipping on their coffee. Being together so early in the day was quite refreshing and both of them wanted it to happen more often. Who knew, maybe now that Alec was going to have that talk with Max, Magnus would be able to stay over at Alec’s place and vice versa. After some more time, Alec checked the clock and his eyes widened just a little bit in surprise; Max was usually up by then.

Thinking about Max, Alec felt how he became nervous all over again and he chewed on his lower lip. He wondered how his young son was going to react to the news. A part of him knew that he shouldn’t worry too much; Max loved Magnus just as much as he did, so it shouldn’t be a problem. However, another thing that worried Alec was the consequences that his and Magnus’ relationship might’ve had on Max. He wondered how Max’s peers were going to react when he’d tell them who his dad was with. Times had changed, but there were still idiots on this world and hurting Max was something that Alec never wanted to do. A frown that had formed between his eyebrows disappeared as soon as Magnus’ hand was placed on top of his knee and the younger one chuckled when Magnus gently squeezed that place.

“What are you thinking about?” asked Magnus and leaned his body gently against Alec’s, looking into his eyes when he noticed that Alec appeared to be thinking hard about something. “Are you worried about how Max is gonna react when we tell him?” he then asked and Alec’s expression was enough to tell him that he hit the nail on the head.

“Yeah,” muttered Alec and pressed his lips together, forming a think line. He then placed his hands together in his lap and let out a deep breath. “I mean, he’s crazy about you, so I’m not that worried about him accepting you,” said Alec and made a short pause as he looked at Magnus. “But, what about other people,” he said. “All aren’t so accepting and if-”

“Ah,” said Magnus and nodded, because he knew where Alec was going with that. Alec was afraid that Max would get bullied at school. Magnus would be lying if he wasn’t afraid of that as well, but then again, worrying about every single thing was pointless. He was really happy that Alec finally decided to tell Max about their relationship. They were dating for four months, so it really was about time anyway. However, now that he heard Alec say all of that, he wasn’t so sure that Alec was ready to tell Max yet. Magnus understood all of that, but he couldn’t help but to feel just a little bit disappointed. “I know what you mean,” said Max and placed a hand on top of Alec’s shoulder. “If you still aren’t ready, we don’t have to tell him and-”

“No, no, I didn’t mean it like that,” said Alec quickly and earned a chuckle from Magnus when he started panicking. “I’m just overthinking things again, sorry,” he said. “I won’t do it anymore, I promise.”

“Don’t apologise,” said Magnus softly and shrugged. “Max’s your son, so of course you’d feel like that. I mean I get it, if I had a child of my own and was in your shoes, I’d feel the same,” stated Magnus then and pressed a kiss on top of Alec’s head.

“If all goes well in the future, I’m sure that Max would think of you as his dad as well,” blurted out Alec and Magnus looked at him, his eyes full of love and happiness. That was something Magnus wished for the most at that moment; having Max accept him as a father figure as well would be a wish come true. And now that he knew that Alec felt like that as well, made the older one tear up.

“Come here,” whispered Magnus and gently hugged Alec’s face, pulling it close to his, so that he could give him a proper kiss. Alec smiled and melted right into their kiss, his lips moving slowly against Magnus’ and he chuckled when he felt Magnus slightly shaking in his arms as he wrapped his arms around Magnus’ body.

As the two of them shared another kiss, they became completely oblivious to the world around them and didn’t hear how the door of Max’s bedroom silently opened. When Max woke up that morning, he could hear that his dad was talking to someone in the living room. Because he couldn’t recognise the voice of the stranger right away, he decided to stay in his bedroom a little longer. He didn’t like meeting strangers. However, he quickly came to the realisation that the person wasn’t a stranger after all and his eyes lit up when he recognised the voice as Magnus’.

Max slowly climbed off of his bed and slowly opened the door of his bedroom, excited to see Mr. Bane. He slowly made his way to the living room and slowly opened the door of it, because for some reason the door was closed. When he stepped inside, neither Alec nor Magnus, noticed him and his eyes grew huge when he saw Mr. Bane kissing his dad. A huge grin appeared on the boy’s face and a small ‘yes’ left his mouth, which was followed by a giggle. That finally caught Alec’s attention and his body froze when he saw Max standing at the door. He quickly pushed Magnus away and pressed a hand against his mouth. It was true that he was going to tell Max, but he didn’t want his son to find out like that. Magnus, who was shocked as well, looked at Max, who was just smiling. He frowned and then glanced at Alec, who was still in the middle of having a mental breakdown.

“Good morning,” said Max politely, as if nothing happened and then slowly stepped closer to the two of them

“Hi, Max,” said Magnus softly and forced a smile, but it disappeared when he saw how worried Alec looked. “Max, we need to tell you something,” started Magnus, but then his voice trailed off once he reminded himself that Alec still came first when it came to Max.

Max giggled when he noticed his dad making a weird face and he ran up to the two men, who were still silent. Max found the situation to be hilarious and was completely oblivious to the fact that Alec was struggling to start a conversation with him. Magnus, on the other hand, was silently staring in front of himself. “Daddy and Mr. Bane,” started Max and both of them looked at the boy. “Sitting on a tree,” happily sung Max and giggled when he saw the expression on Alec’s face. “K.I.S.S.I.N.G,” he then added.

“What?” asked Alec.

“It’s a song,” said Max proudly.  

“No, I know that,” said Alec and made a pause again. The fact that Max was smiling was a good sign. “What you just saw…” tried Alec again, but shook his head again. “What I… I mean, what we wanted to tell you,” started Alec again and relaxed a bit when Magnus took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze as he linked their fingers together. “Look, Max, what I’m about to tell you is very important,” started Alec and Max’s eyes grew wider. “Maybe it’ll be a bit confusing, but… since you’re a big boy already, it shouldn’t be so confusing, I guess.”

“Yes, I am a big boy,” said Max proudly and his smile grew wider. He waited for a few moments, but as his father wouldn’t say anything, he looked at Magnus and cocked his head to the side. “Mr. Bane,” whispered Max and Magnus looked at him. “Why is daddy so silent?” he then added and Magnus gave him a small smile.

“He’s just a bit nervous,” said Magnus. Because Alec was still silent, Magnus released his hand and picked up the boy, placing him into his lap as he sat down back. “Max, do you know that there are different types of _likes_?”

“Huh?” asked Max and blinked a few times.

“Well, for example,” started Magnus and glanced at Alec, who just nodded and Magnus took that as a sign that it was okay for him to continue. “You like your friends, right?” asked Magnus and Max quickly nodded happily.

“I like daddy and Mr. Bane too,” quickly added the boy and Alec smiled.

“Well, I like your dad too,” said Magnus carefully. Max giggled and then nodded; that much was obvious to the boy. “But my _like_ for your dad is different from yours,” said the older one and sighed when he saw a frown forming between Max’s eyebrows. He knew that the boy was probably even more confused and he took in a deep breath, in attempt to start explaining again.

“You like, _like_ my dad?” asked Max happily, who finally understood what Magnus was trying to explain to him. But he didn’t really know why it was such a big deal… he knew that already.

“That’s it, I have a crush on your dad,” said Magnus happily, trying to keep things simple for the boy and placed Max back down onto the floor and looked at Alec, who was now smiling. He was grateful that Magnus was there with him; it was easier. The older one was always better with explaining things. “And your dad likes me just the same, right Alec?” asked Magnus.

“Yeah,” said Alec, making Max giggle with happiness. Max appeared to be delighted with the news and Alec finally felt how weight lifted off of his chest. “How do you feel about that, Max?” asked Alec, just to make sure.

“Happy,” said the boy and clapped with his little hands. He really was happy. He had already considered Mr. Bane as a part of family a long time ago. He continued to think about for some more time and then he giggled again. Alec sent him a curious look as Max giggled. “Will daddy and Mr. Bane get married?” asked Max.

The innocent question made Magnus laugh out loud and he bit into his lower lip when he saw the confusion written all over Max’s face. He couldn’t help himself really; he was too happy to stop laughing and he finally stopped laughing when he saw that Max started sulking. Alec, on the other hand, just chuckled and pressed a kiss on top of his son’s head.

“Hopefully one day,” said Alec.

“Ooh,” said Max happily. His imagination was already running wild. After the wedding, Mr. Bane would come to live with him and his dad and they would live happily ever after. That was what happened in fairy tales that Max loved, so of course that was going to happen to them in real life as well. “Will Mr. Bane come to live with us, daddy?” asked Max.

“When the right time comes, yes,” said Alec. “Or we’ll find another place just for the three of us,” went on by saying the younger one and Max nodded happily. He liked the sound of that.

Magnus liked the sound of that as well; just thinking about it made him all giddy and happy. When Max called him Mr. Bane, Magnus knew that it was probably the time to tell Max that he could call him by his first name when they were home like this. “You know, Max, when we aren’t at school,” started Magnus and Max’s curious eyes found Magnus’. “You don’t have to call me Mr. Bane. Just call me Magnus, okay?” he then asked.

Max slowly nodded, but then frowned. Calling Mr. Bane by his first name? The furrow between Max’s little eyebrows as he continued to think about the matter and Magnus’ smile faltered just a little bit. What happened? Didn’t Max want to call him by his name? Max, on the other hand, was still thinking. His dad called Mr. Bane by his first name, but Max didn’t want that. It was too grown up, too boring for his liking. The boy puffed his cheeks. Also, if his dad liked Mr. Bane and if they would get married someday, didn’t that mean that Magnus would become his dad as well?

“Max? What’s the matter?” asked Alec painfully slowly and looked at Magnus, who looked hurt. Seeing Magnus’ reaction made Alec’s heart fall to the pit of his stomach and he mentally cursed. Maybe it was still too early for that. “Don’t you want to call Mr. Bane by his first name?”

“No,” said Max and shook his head. Calling him Magnus, in Max’s opinion, wouldn’t make him his dad. It felt too weird. Plus, he called his biological parents by their first names, so he didn’t want Mr. Bane to be on the same level as them. Then again, he couldn’t call Magnus daddy, because that was how he called Alec already. However, he quickly thought of another word and his eyes lit up. “Mr. Bane, can I call you Papa?” asked the boy slowly and looked at his teacher.

Magnus’ body froze at the question and he quickly glanced at Alec, who was just as surprised as he was. However, Alec quite quickly smiled again and his heart warmed up when he heard his son ask that. It was more than okay to call Magnus that and Alec had to bite his lower lip to prevent himself from smiling too widely. Magnus, on the other hand, was a mess. He was helplessly looking up at Alec and then he looked back at Max when the boy gently tugged at the sleeve of his shirt.

Max’s innocent and heartfelt question made his heart warm up with happiness. His chest tightened, but in a good way, so much that it was almost heart to breathe and he let out a small chuckle. Seeing that Max had accepted him so much, so fast, made him so, so happy. He opened his mouth to say something, but all that left his mouth was a sob and his eyes widened when he realised that he started crying. Magnus hid his face into his palms and let out another sob. Those were tears of happiness and Alec knew that, but Max didn’t. He had mistaken Magnus’ tears of happiness for sadness and he quickly made a step back when he saw that the man was crying.

“D-don’t cry,” whispered Max, tears present in his eyes as well. “I-I’m sorry, don’t be sad,” he then stammered and placed his little hands together behind his back, looking down. Max was angry with himself, he didn’t mean to hurt Magnus’ feelings again. “I’ll call you Magnus, so don’t cry,” he then added and Magnus quickly shook his head.

Alec leaned closer to Max as well and gently took Max’s hand into his own, pulling him a bit closer. “You didn’t make Magnus sad,” said Alec with a smile and looked at Magnus, who was currently wiping his tears away. “He’s crying, because he’s happy, right?” asked Alec and Magnus nodded, biting into his lower lip as he looked at the boy.

“Yeah,” said Magnus as he smiled through his tears and hugged Max.

The whole scenario made Alec’s heart swell with happiness and love and he placed both of his arms around Max and Magnus, pulling them closer. Max looked up and giggled when his dad first kissed Magnus’ tears away and then pressed a kiss against Max’s cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise if there are a lot of mistakes in this chapter... I'm still sick and I didn't feel like reading through it again ;0;
> 
> As always, thanks for your support, it means a lot ^^
> 
> Comments & opinions are well appreciated ;)


	13. Chapter 13

On the morning of the next day, Magnus woke up quite early. As he woke up, he was welcomed by a comfortable warmth hugging his body and a wide grin spread across his face when he saw an arm wrapped around his waist. As he leaned back, he chuckled as he felt Alec being pressed against his back and he carefully slowly unwrapped Alec’s arm from his waist and then slowly turned around, so that he could face his boyfriend. He had spent the night over at Alec’s place and his heart warmed up when he remembered everything that happened the previous day. Magnus buried his face into the pillow and then let out a happy gasp; if he said that he was happy, it would be an understatement.

When he moved, Alec moved his head to the right and Magnus chuckled as he continued to observe his handsome boyfriend. Waking up next to Alec was something new to Magnus, but it was definitely an amazing thing and now that they had finally told Max about their relationship, they would be able to spend mornings like that more often, which made Magnus’ heart flutter with happiness. He gently placed a hand on top of Alec’s cheek and then gently stroked it with his fingertips. He then placed his fingers over Alec’s nose and gently ran them down to the younger’s lips. At the touch, Alec scrunched his nose and Magnus was having a blast with watching Alec’s cute little reactions. At one point Alec mumbled something, but Magnus couldn’t really make out what it was.

Magnus spent some more time like that, kissing and stroking Alec’s face, secretly wishing that his boyfriend would wake up. However, after some more time passed, Magnus came to a conclusion that Alec wasn’t waking up anytime soon, so he decided to go check on Max. When he slowly climbed off of the bed, he grinned when he saw his reflection in the mirror. Because the decision of him spending the night was made in the very last minute, Magnus didn’t go home that day to bring his clothes with him, so he ended up wearing Alec’s sweatpants and an oversized T-shirt as pyjamas. The clothes were too big even for Alec, so Magnus looked ridiculous in them, but he didn’t mind that.

He slowly made his way out of the bedroom and then slowly stepped into Max’s bedroom, smiling when he saw the sleeping boy. He noticed that Max’s precious Minion plush must’ve fallen off of the bed during the night, so he picked it up and placed it next to the boy. Max hugged the toy almost immediately and pressed it against his chest and then buried his face into it, mumbling something in his sleep. Magnus chuckled and then leaned down to the boy, pressing a kiss on top of his head, before he finally left the room.

Magnus went back to the bedroom and almost laughed out loud when he saw Alec. The younger one was lying in the middle of the bed in the most uncomfortable position that Magnus could ever imagine. Magnus soon found a perfect way to wake Alec up, so he closed the door of the room and locked it just in case. With a grin on his face, Magnus walked to the end of the bed and then lifted up the bedcovers, slowly slipping underneath them and chuckled as he clumsily climbed on top of Alec. Even that didn’t wake him up and Magnus pressed his lips together. He tried again by giving Alec a gentle kiss, but the only response that he got from him was a loud snore, which made Magnus laugh out loud. He buried his face into the younger’s chest and gripped onto the fabric of his shirt as his body shook his laughter.

“You’re adorable, my Alexander,” whispered Magnus and hovered back on top of Alec, so that he was face to face with him. “I guess I have to give you more motivation to wake up, hmm?” he then asked and pressed his lips on top of Alec’s neck, pressing a few kisses onto the exposed skin and as he gently sucked onto the flesh, Alec let out a muffled groan. That was enough to let Magnus know that Alec wasn’t sleeping anymore and when he looked up, he was right. Alec’s eyes were barely open, but he was awake. However, instead of kissing Alec’s lips, Magnus’ lips returned to the place that they left before and he brought his left hand to the hem of Alec’s shirt, teasingly tugging onto it and then slowly slipped a hand underneath the shirt, Alec letting out a small hiss when Magnus’ cold fingers came in contact with his hot skin.

Alec woke up when he felt a tickling sensation against his neck and frowned when he felt a weight pressing his body down against the bed. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Magnus was on top of him and he let out a surprised gasp when he felt Magnus’ lips kissing at his neck. His eyes widened when Magnus’ fingers found their way under his shirt and started lifting it up. He bit his lower lip and then forced himself to open his eyes. He placed his hand on top of Magnus’ head and the older one finally looked up, wearing a grin on his lips.

“Good morning,” whispered Magnus with a chuckle and then kissed Alec gently onto his lips, the older one quickly returning him the kiss and a smile tugged at his lips as well. “You finally woke up, angel,” he then added.

“Hmm,” hummed Alec and wrapped his arms around Magnus’ neck. “This is a perfect way to wake up in the morning,” said Alec and rubbed his tired eyes. “Thank god that it’s Sunday,” he then added, because he really didn’t feel like getting up.

“Yeah,” said Magnus and leaned down to kiss his boyfriend again. He smiled when he felt Alec’s hand at the back of his neck and he slowly dragged his tongue over Alec’s lower lip, who eagerly parted his lips, inviting the older male in. Alec hummed into their deep kiss and his eyes widened when he felt Magnus lifting his shirt again. Before he could say anything in protest, Magnus claimed his lips again and all of Alec’s worries disappeared into thin air as those soft lips moved slowly against his own.

The corners of Magnus’ lips curled up, forming a small smirk when they parted. He planted a kiss on the tip of Alec’s nose and then kissed his way down. He lifted Alec’s shirt up, but didn’t take it off as it seemed that that was something Alec wouldn’t want to do. He looked nervous enough and Magnus gave him a warm smile, before he placed his lips on top of Alec’s chest. He started planting soft kisses and teasingly licking the younger’s chest and he smiled when he noticed a change in Alec’s breathing. His chest started lifting and descending at a much faster paste and he grinned when he looked up. Alec was breathing rapidly and was looking down to him, his eyes half-lidded.

“Magnus,” stammered Alec and pressed his lips together. “We can’t-” he started, but his voice trailed off when Magnus trailed kisses from his chest, down to his stomach and the usual grin stayed on his face when he hooked a thumb under the elastic of Alec’s pants and playfully ran his tongue over his bottom lip.

“Why not?” asked Magnus innocently.

“Max,” breathed out Alec and took in a sharp breath when Magnus moved lower.

“It’s pretty early and Max’s still asleep,” muttered the older one and chuckled when he saw Alec’s body shivering. He moved his fingers down to Alec’s hips and then gently parted the younger’s legs. He knew that if Alec really didn’t want that, he would’ve put up a better fight. Magnus placed his hands onto Alec’s thighs and gently ran them up and down, moving his fingers to his inner-thighs and he licked his lower lip. Magnus pressed his fingers into the sensitive flesh and grinned when he heard Alec silently cursing. Alec rarely cursed and when he did, it was usually when he was too upset or excited, apparently, to actually think of what he was saying. To Magnus, it was quite a turn on.

“What if he wakes up and walks in on us,” Alec whispered and his toes curled when Magnus’ fingers were slowly moving dangerously close to his already hard member.

“I’ve locked the door,” said Magnus and to Alec’s delight finally moved his hand up. Magnus was impressed when he saw how turned on Alec already was and he looked up at the younger one. “You’re hard,” said Magnus and Alec was looking for a snarky come back to that, but his throat went dry and all that he could was silently nod. “Let me make you feel good, Alexander,” whispered Magnus and let out a surprised yelp when Alec suddenly grabbed the collar of his shirt, gasping when his mouth roughly collided onto his. “I can, can’t I?” he then asked, just in case.

“Yeah, please,” whispered Alec once he broke their kiss and chewed on his lower lip. In the state that he was in, he couldn’t really turn Magnus down and he nodded, burying his fingers into Magnus’ hair when the older one leaned down to kiss him. “Hurry up,” whispered Alec against Magnus’ lips when he broke their kiss and Magnus grinned.

“Your wish is my command, Alexander,” muttered Magnus, the grin on his face widening.

Magnus moved lower again, this time pulling the bedcovers over his head and quickly pulled Alec’s pants and underwear down. Magnus wasted no time and his fingers went around Alec’s erect member, stroking it a few times before taking some of it into his mouth. Alec’s body shuddered when he was taken inside of Magnus’ hot mouth and he was sure that he was going to melt when the other one started slowly bobbing his head up and down. Alec grabbed some of Magnus’ hair and impatiently rocked his hips, pushing himself further into Magnus’ mouth.

Wanting to see more, Alec lifted up the bedcovers and groaned when he saw Magnus’ flushed face, his eyes tightly shut. Magnus looked up and let out a small hum when his hair was being tugged on, causing Alec to let out another hiss. He almost chuckled when he saw bliss and pleasure written all over his boyfriend’s face and he was proud; he was making Alec feel good. He sucked onto Alec’s member harder, almost gagging when he felt it hit the back of his throat. He could feel Alec throbbing inside of his mouth and he could tell that the other one was going to come soon.

“Magnus,” moaned softly Alec, causing Magnus to look up at him. “I’m close,” he then whispered and Magnus took a great joy in listening Alec’s voice shaking so much. Alec wanted to push Magnus away, but much to his surprise, Magnus didn’t move and he took him deeper into his mouth and that was when it all came crushing down onto Alec and he came with a silent cry of Magnus’ name and the older one smirked.

Magnus’ mouth was aching, but he felt satisfied with himself, because he made Alec feel good. He wiped his mouth and then moved up again, kissing Alec gently. Alec, who was still breathing hard, looked to his right where Magnus was laying and he chuckled again, feeling how happiness and warmth filled his heart. “That was amazing,” said Alec and Magnus laughed.

“We can continue if you’d like,” said Magnus, waggling his eyebrows and smiled when Alec climbed on top of him.

“With pleasure,” muttered Alec and just as he was about to kiss Magnus again, there a knock at the door. Alec gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, because the moment was ruined and Magnus chuckled.

“Daddy? Are you still asleep?” asked a small voice and Alec was immediately on his legs.

“No, um, we’re awake,” said Alec and cleared his throat. He wanted to go unlock the door, but was soon reminded that he wasn’t wearing any pants and he quickly wrapped bedcovers around himself. Magnus laughed silently when he saw Alec’s reaction and he sat up as well. He didn’t feel too disappointed that the moment was ruined; they had all the time in the world, so there was no point with rushing things.

“Alexander, darling,” started Magnus and Alec looked at him. “I’ll go to Max. In the meantime, make yourself decent,” he then added and Alec quickly nodded, heading straight for the bathroom. Magnus climbed off the bed as well and unlocked the door, smiling when he saw Max standing in front of the door and the boy’s face brightened when he saw Magnus standing there.

“Good morning,” said Max happily as he beamed up at the man. “Where’s daddy?”

“In the bathroom, taking a shower,” explained Magnus and Max nodded. “Come, let’s go to the kitchen,” he then said and Max happily nodded, following the man into the kitchen. Usually, his dad would make him breakfast, so Max climbed into his chair and patiently waited as he looked at Magnus. The man walked closer to him and crossed his arms on top of his chest. “Are you hungry, Max?”

“Yeah,” stated the boy.

“Great, I’m starving as well,” said Magnus and sat down next to Max, who giggled. “What should I make us for breakfast, young man? You name it and I’ll make it,” he said and Max’s eyes lit up.

“I can pick anything?” asked Max.

“Of course.”

“Pancakes,” said Max quickly, without thinking about it too much. They were his favourite thing to eat as a breakfast and no matter how many times he had them, he never got tired of them. “Please?” he then added as he remembered to always stay polite, just as Alec had taught him.

“Sure thing,” said Magnus and rubbed his palms together. The first challenge that he faced was to find all of the ingredients for the pancakes in Alec’s kitchen. However, because Alec kept things simple and tidy, he quickly gathered all of them and smiled. Magnus frowned, because Max disappeared somewhere while he wasn’t paying attention to him, but the boy quickly returned with something in his hands.

“What do you have there, Max?” asked Magnus softly, but soon realised that Max had brought him an apron.

“So that you don’t get dirty. It’s daddy’s apron,” said Max happily and handed the man the apron. It was in a baby blue colour and when Magnus unfolded it, he could see that it said in bold, white letters ‘#1 daddy’. “I gave this to daddy for his birthday,” said Max proudly and Magnus nodded with a chuckle. He placed a hand on top of Max’s head and gently ruffled his hair.

Now, Magnus was screaming on the inside that there was no way in hell that he’d put on the apron. However, as Max’s eyes were observing him, he didn’t have the heart to say no. Plus, the fact that Max worried about him dirtying his clothes, warmed his heart. Without saying anything, he put on the apron and Max giggled, skipping back to the table. Magnus then returned back to the stove and started preparing the pancakes, while he was chatting with Max.

When Alec was finally done with the shower, he quickly changed into his clothes and then made his way to the kitchen. Max’s giggling and Magnus’ laughter could be heard, as well as a smell of freshly made coffee and pancakes could be smelled and Alec sighed; he could definitely get used to this. He was used to quiet mornings, so this was a nice change and he wanted to make it permanent, one day. He stepped into the kitchen with a smile on his face and stepped to Max, who giggled when he kissed his cheek.

“Morning, buddy,” said Alec and Max kissed his dad back and then pointed to Magnus, who was in the middle of preparing them breakfast.

“Look, daddy, Mr. Bane,” said Max and then stopped talking. He remembered that Magnus told him to call him by his first name the day before. Now, he wanted to call him ‘Papa’, but he made Magnus cry with that yesterday. Alec might’ve told him that those were tears of happiness, but that didn’t matter to Max. He hated seeing people cry, no matter if they were tears of sadness or happiness. “Magnus,” said Max, correcting himself and then frowned. “Is making pancakes,” he then added happily.

“I can see,” said Alec and stepped next to Magnus as well, kissing his cheek as well and Magnus chuckled and then turned around.

“I made us coffee as well,” said Magnus and handed Alec his cup. The younger one quickly took one sip of it and nearly choked on it when he saw that Magnus was wearing his apron. The word ‘daddy’ written on Magnus’ chest had a whole different meaning to Alec at that exact moment and blood rushed into Alec’s head as he was still coughing.

“Daddy, what’s wrong?” asked Max and cocked his head.

“You’re wearing my apron?” asked Alec once his coughing fit finally stopped and Magnus arched his eyebrow.

“Yeah, Max gave it to me,” said Magnus, who didn’t know what the big deal was. “Something wrong with that?”

“No, no,” said Alec painfully slowly and shook his head. “Just seeing you in an apron is _different_ ,” said Alec, trying to cool off his face, but it was still coloured into deep shades of red.

Magnus grinned, because he knew what Alec meant, but didn’t make a comment about it. Max, who still didn’t know what the hell was going on, frowned and then started giggling when he saw the expression that Alec was making. “Daddy, you’re making a funny face,” said Max and pointed to Alec’s face.

Magnus took a closer look of Alec’s face and smirked when he saw that it was red with embarrassment. “He really is, isn’t he?” teased Magnus and earned a playful punch from Alec.

“Shush, both of you,” said Alec and straightened himself. “It’s not funny.”

“But it is, angel,” said Magnus, making Max giggle again.

“Never mind,” muttered Alec and pouted. He then grabbed the plate with pancakes and carried it to the table, trying to ignore the smug look on Magnus’ face. “Let’s eat now, I’m starving,” said Alec and Magnus pressed his lips together.

“Yeah, let’s do that,” said Magnus, but when Alec turned around, the man stuck out his tongue and Max giggled when he saw that, but then quickly stopped laughing when Alec looked at him, though he continued to silently laugh when Alec looked at Magnus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've decided to change the ratings of the fanfic to mature ~  
> I hope that it's okay ^^
> 
> Also, I want to thank you so much for your support. I was really happy to see how much you all liked the previous chapter. To be honest, it was my favourite to write so far as well :)
> 
> As always, comments & opinions are well appreciated :)


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus meets Alec's parents

Magnus stepped into Alec's apartment and handed the younger one his bags, while he carried the cat carrier, with Chairman Meow inside, and Max’s eyes lit up when he saw the cat. Chairman Meow, however, wasn’t in such a good mood and Magnus knew why; he didn’t like being carried in the carrier. However, there was nothing that he could do about that; he was spending the weekend with Alec and Max and he was already feeling bad for leaving his poor kitten all alone lately. He knew that Max would be keen on the idea of bringing his cat there, but Chairman Meow didn’t look too impressed. His earns tilted back when Max let out a loud giggle and then the cat look at Magnus as the man got down onto his knees and placed the carrier onto the floor, before opening the it, so that Chairman could go out.

Since the environment was new to the cat, it took him quite a few moments to step outside and even though he was outside, he was looking around and Magnus chuckled when he saw how confused his kitten looked. He scooped him up into his arms and then carried the cat to the sofa, sitting down and allowed Chairman Meow to lie on top of his legs and he placed a hand on top of his chest, scratching behind his ear and smiled when his kitten started purring. Alec smiled as he observed Magnus with his cat and slowly came closer to the man. Max kept his distance a bit, because he was told that the kitten was quite skittish and he didn’t want to scare the poor thing.

“Good, it looks like he relaxed,” said Magnus and signed Max to come closer. The boy’s lit up and he slowly made his way to Magnus, in order not to scare Chairman again and Magnus chuckled when he saw that. The boy placed his hands together behind his back and happily observed as Magnus scratched the cat under his chin and giggled as Chairman’s purring grew louder. “You can pet him as well,” said Magnus and Max quickly nodded.

“Really?” asked Max happily and giggled when Magnus nodded. He slowly extended an arm out and then gently placed a hand on top of the cat’s ear, grinning when he saw that that time, Chairman Meow didn’t seem to mind him petting. “Looks, daddy, he likes it,” said Max excitedly and Alec nodded as he was still standing by the door and he then leaned back against the door frame.

“Sit down, Max,” said Magnus next and Max listened to the man and sat down next to him. His eyes widened when Magnus lifted up his kitten and placed it into Max’s lap. Startled, Max let out a small gasp and for the first few seconds, he didn’t dare to move. However, Chairman Meow showed no signs of being uncomfortable, so Max allowed himself to relax a little bit. He placed a hand on top of the cat’s head and then giggled when Chairman started licking his finger.

“He likes me,” giggled Max and Alec chuckled that time as well, stepping closer to the other two and nodded. He then sat down next to Magnus and let out a happy sigh as he leaned his head against the man’s shoulder. Magnus looked at his direction when he felt a sudden weight on his shoulder and leaned his head on top of Alec’s head, smiling when Alec took his hand into his own, giving it a gentle squeeze.

The moment felt beyond perfect; the three of them sitting on the sofa like that was an amazing feeling and Magnus chuckled when Alec gazed up into his eyes, kissing the spot between Alec’s eyebrows. Alec’s heart warmed up at that, Magnus arching his eyebrow when he noticed that Alec wouldn’t look away. Not that he minded it, really. “What’s going on in your pretty little head, angel?” whispered Magnus and Alec chuckled.

“Nothing,” muttered Alec and he shrugged, looking over at Max, who was now petting the cat’s belly, completely lost in his own world. Max had always wanted a pet, so it was no wonder that he enjoyed spending time with Chairman Meow’s company. He then looked up at Magnus again and bit into his lower lip. “I love you,” he then said.

Magnus was about to say Alec that he loved him just as much, but the moment was ruined when Alec’s phone started ringing. Alec rolled his eyes and reached for his phone, narrowing his eyes when he saw his mom’s name written on the screen. At Alec’s weird expression, Magnus leaned over to see who was calling his boyfriend and was surprised when he saw that it was Alec’s mom who was calling him. Alec was quite surprised to be honest, it wasn’t like his parents to call him all that often, so he quickly got onto his legs and walked into the other room, so that he could talk privately with his mom.

In the meantime, Magnus walked to his bag, which he brought with himself, and pulled out some of Chairman’s favourite toys. He took a small ball and a mouse tied on a piece of string into his hands and then brought it to Max. “These are some of his favourite toys,” said Magnus and smiled when he saw how excited the boy looked. “Would you like to play with him for a little bit?” he then asked and Max let out an excited giggle, which was a bit too loud for the cat’s liking. Annoyed to be awoken from his slumber, Chairman Meow arched his back and walked away from the two, finding a new spot to sleep on the sofa, far away from Max and Magnus.

Magnus laughed softly, but Max looked concerned and tugged onto Magnus’ sleeve. “Is he angry with me?” asked the little boy and Magnus quickly shook his head, placing a hand on top of Max’s head and gently ruffled his hair.

“Don’t worry about it too much, he’s pretty easily annoyed, but he forgives in seconds, especially if you show him his toys,” said Magnus and handed the mouse on the string to Max. Max, who was happy to hear that, took the toy into his hands and slowly walked to the kitten. Chairman lazily opened his eyes when he saw Max coming closer and Max giggled, showing the toy to the cat.

“Wanna play?” asked Max happily and gently threw the mouse towards Chairman, while he was holding onto the piece of string. The cat was quickly on his legs and started chasing the mouse up and down the sofa, Magnus silently laughing as Max started running around the living room in circles, Chairman Meow right behind him. He then sat back down onto the sofa and just happily watched Max playing with his kitten, smiling so much that his cheeks were beginning to hurt. After a while, Alec finally came back into the room and Magnus cocked his head when he saw a frown between Alec’s eyebrows, which seemed to disappear when he saw Max jumping up and down, while Chairman was still trying to catch the mouse.

“They’re having fun,” said Alec happily and Magnus smiled, signing Alec to come closer. The younger one walked to him and then sat back down.

“You’re frowning,” said Magnus when the frown returned. “What did you mother say?”

“I’ve completely forgotten that she and my dad are coming over tonight for dinner,” said Alec and it was Magnus’ turn to freeze at those news and he nervously chewed on his lower lip. “Yeah, I’ve been so busy with other stuff that I’ve completely forgotten about them coming over,” he then went on by saying and glanced at Magnus, to see how he was taking the news.

“I see,” started Magnus and then made a short pause. He didn’t mind Alec’s parents coming over and to be honest, he’d gladly finally meet them. But, something was telling him that Alec still wasn’t ready to introduce him to them for some reason. “So,” he said and cleared his throat. “Am I welcome to stay for the dinner, or would you rather me not meet your parents quite yet? To tell you the truth, I’d love to meet them, Alexander.”

“Oh, that’s good,” said Alec and smiled when the weight lifted off of his shoulders. “I kind of blurted out to my mom that you’re staying over for the weekend and told her that you’d meet them tonight,” he said and scratched behind his head. “I was kind of worried, because I didn’t ask you earlier, but now… I worry too much, as I see,” said Alec and forced a nervous laugh. “Though, I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t nervous.”

“Well, that’s understandable,” said Magnus and shrugged. “I mean they _are_ your parents. But I am kind of curious… I hope you don’t mind me asking, but why did you stall me meeting them for such a long time? Your parents seem like loving people, which is an entire opposite to my parents.”

“Ah, that… it’s kind of a long story,” stammered Alec and sighed when Magnus arched his eyebrow, knowing that he’d have to come clean about it eventually. “The short version is that they aren’t quite open minded,” started Alec. “It took them years to finally accept me after I came out to them and even after that, I could sense they weren’t completely fine with it, especially my mom. Sometimes, I sill get that annoying feeling that he’s still judging me,” he said. “So I didn’t want to introduce you to them, until I was really sure that they knew how serious I was about this relationship,” said Alec and made a short pause. “I told them about you months ago, but I could sense that they weren’t ready to meet you. However, after the talk I had with my mom today, I guess she finally came to realise how serious I’m about you,” he then added and gave Magnus a weak smile.

“I see,” said Magnus and nodded. He knew what Alec meant and he was glad that the other one told him that. “I understand, relationship with parents can be very complicated,” he went on by saying. “Take my parents for an example. When I was 8 they got divorced, both of them met new partners and had a new family. I was tossed aside and even though they never said it, I knew that I wasn’t wanted. Both of them were reminded of the awful marriage they had when they saw me. So, I left. I rarely talk to them these days.”

Alec’s eyes widened when he heard all of that and his heart ached for Magnus; he had no idea that Magnus had it to rough up until then. He was beginning to ask himself why Magnus never talked about his family and now he had his answer. Alec placed a hand on top of Magnus’ shoulder and sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“I doesn’t matter anymore,” said Magnus and shrugged. It was true that he was alone a lot in the past, but that had changed during the past few months and he felt happier than ever. “I have a new family now; I have you and Max, don’t I?”

“Yeah,” said Alec and leaned forward to kiss Magnus. Their lips met in a sweet, short kiss. Max, who was still playing with Magnus’ cat, looked over to the two men and smiled.

* * *

 

Chairman Meow’s ears perked up when there was a knock at the door, Max quickly running to the door. “Grandpa and grandma are here!” happily chanted the boy as he skipped to the door. Magnus and Alec, who were in the kitchen, quickly straightened their clothes. Magnus could see a worried expression on Alec’s face, so he quickly took the younger’s hand into his own and Alec quickly calmed down, allowing himself to be pulled across the room. Once they arrived to the front door, Maryse and Alec were already in the apartment as Max was excitedly telling him about his new friend; Chairman Meow.

Alec’s smile widened when he saw his parents and he released Magnus’ hand as he stepped close to them. First, he hugged his dad and them his mom, saying something under his breath when the woman held onto him a bit too long for his liking. Magnus, in the meantime, was holding his distance a little bit, but the smile on his lips remained. It was precious to see Alec communicating with his parents; just as he thought, they really were loving people.

“Hello, Alec,” said Maryse happily and ruffled Max’s head as she looked down to the small boy. “Max says you got a new cat,” she then went on by saying and chuckled. “You should bring it over some time, Church is lonely these days, you know,” said Maryse and Alec scratched the back of his head, letting out a nervous laughter.

“The cat’s not mine, actually,” said Alec and pointed to Magnus. “It’s Magnus’.”

At the mention of his name, Magnus straightened himself up and slowly walked closer to the others, oddly feeling nervous as well. When Alec mentioned Magnus, both of his parents looked over to the man and Robert was the first one, who extended out his hand and Magnus quickly took it, shaking it as he politely smiled to the older man. “The name’s Robert,” said the man and Magnus nodded. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Max had told us a lot about you already.”

“The pleasure’s mine, sir,” said Magnus politely and the man shook his head.

“No need to be so polite,” he said and shrugged. “Just Robert’s fine,” he then added and Magnus quickly nodded, happy to see that Alec’s parents were so warm to him. Magnus could see that Maryse was at first a bit holding her distance as well, but after some thinking, she took in a deep breath and shook Magnus’ hand as well.

“Maryse,” she said and made a short pause. “I apologise for awkwardness. It’s the first time that our son actually introduced someone that he’s dating to us,” she then quickly added and let out a nervous laugh. “That has to mean that you’re pretty special to him, I suppose,” she said and placed her warm hand on top of Magnus’ shoulder. “It’s nice to meet you, yeah.”

“Now then,” said Alec and rubbed his palms together. The introductions went better than he expected them to go, so his mind was finally at peace, knowing that the rest of the evening was going to be just as fine, if not even better. “Let’s step inside,” he then added and Max nodded, taking his grandpa’s hand into his and started dragging him towards the living room.

“Max, slow down.”

“Shh, daddy. Come, grandpa, I’ll introduce you to Chairman Meow,” said the boy as he dragged Robert into the living room and the only thing that the man could really do, was smile and nod. Alec, on the other hand, took off his mom’s coat and while he was hanging it, Magnus had already invited her to the kitchen, promising her to make her something hot to drink, since it was pretty cold outside.

The whole evening went amazing; Alec was really impressed by the way his parents accepted Magnus. He wasn’t so surprised about his dad, but the way that his mom talked and acted around Magnus warmed his heart. In the end, she even greeted him to the family, which had never happened before. Alec guessed that she must’ve really liked him. During the dinner, Robert and Maryse were asking Magnus all sorts of questions, because they wanted to get to know him better and even though they ended up completely forgetting about Alec, he didn’t hold it against them.

Magnus was more than glad to talk with Alec’s parents; he had learned new things about them and new things about Alec in general. They shared some pretty embarrassing stories from Alec’s past and promised that the next time that they would come over, they would show him pictures of Alec from his childhood. Now, usually Alec would try to keep his parents quiet from sharing such stories, but in the end it didn’t really matter. The smiles on Magnus’ and Max’s face as they listened to the stories were priceless and that was all that it mattered. Also, that evening, Alec saw a side of his parents that he rarely got to see those days; it was refreshing to see them laugh so much. Usually they were pretty reserved around people.

By the time they left Alec’s apartment, it was already pretty late. As Max was playing with his toys in the living room, the two men were busy with cleaning up after the dinner. As they were done with cleaning the dishes, they went into the living room, to get Max ready for bed. However, when they stepped into the living room, they were welcomed by one of the sweetest sights every; Max had already fallen asleep on the sofa and Magnus’ kitten, which was curled up into a small ball, was lying next to Max.

“They’re adorable,” whispered Magnus and Alec hummed in agreement.

“Come, let’s carry him to his bedroom,” said Alec after a while. Magnus nodded and gently scooped up the sleeping boy into his arms, carrying him to his bedroom. Alec opened the door and turned on the lights, holding the door open for Magnus to step inside. Magnus tried to be as careful as possible, but in the end, he still woke Max up when he placed him into his bed.

“Did I wake you up, Max?” asked Magnus and Max yawned, rubbing his tired eyes and he nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Papa,” blurted out Max, completely oblivious that the word made Magnus cry the last week. He was just dreaming something about Magnus and in the dreams, he called the man _Papa_ , so it escaped his lips. He looked up if Magnus looked upset, but luckily, he was just smiling.

Magnus’ heart swell with happiness and looked over at Alec, who was biting into his lower lip and he walked closer to the boy. Max wanted to say something, but was growing sleepy again and in the end, he just laid back down, giggling as Alec tucked him in and leaned down to kiss his forehead.

“Good night, Max,” said Alec and smiled.

“Yeah, sleep tight,” added Magnus and Max giggled.

Before the two men stepped out of his bedroom, there was a faint “Good night daddy and Papa,” able to be heard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the support so far :)  
> And as always, comments & opinions are well appreciated ^^


	15. Chapter 15

Magnus and Alec were returning back from one of their many dates, which didn't go as smooth as Magnus wanted it to go. While Max was spending time with his aunt Izzy, the two men decided to go out on a date. It had been a while since they had any time for themselves, so spending an evening out was beyond perfect for the two of them. The problem, however, started as soon as Magnus said that they should go to a club for a change. Usually, they spent their dates in restaurants or cinema, so Magnus thought it would be a good idea, but he was wrong.

The first red flag was when Alec came back from work. Apparently one of his idiotic co-workers pissed him off, so the younger wasn't really in the mood of going out. However, because he saw that Magnus really wanted to go somewhere, he decided to stop sulking for the time being and go out with his boyfriend, thinking that they would just eat out. When the idea of clubbing was introduced to him, Alec rolled his eyes, but decided to go nevertheless. Magnus saw that his boyfriend wasn't too keen on that idea, but he was sure that a night in the club would help Alexander to relax. But boy, was he wrong. And the worst part was that he didn't even know what he did wrong. Alec was having fun at first, but his good mood disappeared into thin air and all that was left was the grumpy Alec, which he wasn't too fond of.

Alec was having fun at the club at some point. Magnus dragged him to the dance floor and he soon loosened up and started having fun, which unfortunately didn't last long. It started when some of Magnus' friends decided to come join them when they were drinking their drinks. Alec tried to be patient and polite, he really did. Because Magnus said that it was a date, he expected to spend the time only with him, so he was really pissed off when Magnus started paying attention to them more than to him. Usually that wouldn't bother him that much, but it did bother him a lot that day. He was jealous and childish, he was well aware of that, but he couldn’t help himself really.

And what made things even worse was the fact that Magnus started poking fun at him. Alec knew that Magnus didn't mean harm with that, he was just trying to make him smile after the day he had, but for some reason that annoyed the hell out of Alec. Heck, he was even getting on his own nerves. When Alec had it finally enough, he excused himself from the table as politely as he could, saying that he wasn't feeling well and that he'd just go home. After he left, Magnus was right behind him and when they were in front of the club, he offered to drive him home, because he was worried. And then Alec did the stupidest thing that he could; he snapped at Magnus, telling him to stop worrying about him and that he should go just back to his friends if they were so much more interesting to talk to. However, Alec's annoyance returned when he saw that Magnus didn't even realise the reason behind his bad mood.

So, at the moment, they were sitting in Magnus' car and were driving towards Alec's place in complete silence. Magnus was trying to take a glance at Alec's face, to see what kind of expression was he making, but because the younger one was looking out of the window, he couldn't see his face. That kind of pissed Magnus off as well. He was excited to see Alec meeting his friends, but the younger one seemed completely uninterested in that and that made Magnus sad. When they finally reached Alec's place, Magnus parked his car and let out a long sigh as he stopped the engine.

"We're here," said Magnus after a few moments of silence and finally gained some of Alec's attention. He looked at his boyfriend and slowly nodded. The corners of Magnus' lips twitched and he puffed his cheeks.

"Yup. We're here," said Alec and took in a deep breath. They sat like that in silence for quite some time and in the end it was Magnus that broke the annoying silence.

“Can I come up with you for a little while?” asked Magnus with a small voice. He couldn’t just go home like this; he and Alec had never had an argument and there was no way that he could leave. If Alec would only tell him what he did or said wrong; he would apologise for it immediately, even though he knew that for a fact he didn’t do anything wrong. In his opinion, it was Alec who deserved him an apology as well.

Alec, who was busy with twiddling his fingers in his lap, gazed at Magnus and shrugged. “Sure, if you want to,” he muttered and looked away. His bad mood was gradually fading away and now that he could see that Magnus was actually trying to make it up to him, he felt stupid for acting like that around Magnus’ friends. Just what did they think of him?

“Alexander,” said Magnus under his breath and placed a warm hand on top of Alec’s leg and leaned forward to the sulking man. He pressed his lips on top of Alec’s, but the other didn’t kiss him back just yet and that left Magnus devastated. “Look, if you don’t want me to come over, then just say so,” stated Magnus bitterly and Alec finally looked at him, but his eyes soon travelled back down. “If my presence makes you uncomfortable, I’ll go.”

“Go? Where?” scoffed Alec as the annoyance returned.

“I don’t know?” said Magnus and frowned. “To the club, to meet up with my friends. I mean, it’s clear that you don’t want me here, so what’s the point?” blurted out Magnus, who was now as equally annoyed as Alec and crossed his arms on top of his chest.

“Yeah, fine, you’re right… Go,” said Alec and was angrily undoing the sit belt. Once done with that, he angrily pulled his jacket from the back sit and dressed himself, before opening the door of the car. “I mean, why the hell I would need you around, right?” he then added and stepped outside.

Magnus’ heart dropped to the pit of his stomach and he hurried after his boyfriend, grabbing him by his wrist once outside his car, to prevent him from leaving. Alec did stop, but rolled his eyes as he faced Magnus. “What the hell is that supposed to mean, Alexander?” asked Magnus with a small voice.

“You know what?” asked Alec and Magnus arched an eyebrow as he was waiting for an explanation. “After the long day I had at work, I really wanted to spend some time alone with you. Sure, I don’t like clubs, but I decided to go, because I could see it that you really wanted to go. And for what? To be completely ignored, while you talk with other people that I don’t know?!” snapped Alec and Magnus’ eyes opened wide.

“That’s it? That’s why you were acting like that towards my friends?” snapped Magnus, his face red with anger. “Catarina and Ragnor are one of my closest friends, and I really wanted you to meet them,” started Magnus and Alec quickly closed his lips. “It was you who didn’t want to talk to them. And what do you want me to do? Ignore my friends, which by the way I rarely see, drop everything for you, because you had a shitty day at work? Stop taking your anger out on me and my friends,” said Magnus, who wasn’t really watching what he was saying and his eyes opened wide as those words left his mouth, placing a hand on top of it, to prevent anything more from slipping out, but it was too late already.

Alec opened his mouth, but then quickly closed it again and he looked down, his face heating up with embarrassment. Everything that Magnus said was true, he knew it. That was exactly why he felt so stupid and he bowed his head down in embarrassment. “Magnus,” he stammered and looked up at Magnus, whose facial expression softened up a little bit and he sighed. Even though he meant what he said, he could’ve put it in a better way. He was really excited about Alec meeting his friends; he had already met all of Alec’s family. Magnus himself didn’t have anyone to call a family, so apart from Alec and Max, his friends were the only thing that came as close as to having a real family did. “Stay, please,” added Alec then and walked closer to the other man. “I don’t want you to leave when we’re on bad terms like this. Come up, we’ll talk.”

This time, Magnus could see that Alec was sincere and he nodded slowly. “Okay,” he said and slowly followed Alec up the stairs.

Once in the apartment, Max quickly came running to the door, excited and happy to see both men, completely oblivious to the fight. “Daddy, Papa, you’re back,” chanted the boy happily and gained a chuckle from Magnus, who gently ruffled his hair and leaned down to kiss the top of Max’s head. Alec smiled as well and started laughing as Max started dragging him into the living room. “Come, daddy, aunt Izzy and I drew something. Come and see, daddy,” said the happy boy and Alec allowed himself to be pulled across the room into the living room, although his heart clenched as he looked back at Magnus, who wore a troubled expression on his face.

Isabelle came to the hallway once she realised Magnus wasn’t in the room with them and her eyes widened when she saw that the older one looked nervous and upset. She quickly walked to him and placed a hand on top of his shoulder, Magnus quickly looked up and he sighed. “Hey, Magnus,” she said and smiled. The smile on her face was warm and Magnus finally gave in, returning her a smile as well. “Everything okay?”

“Hmm? Oh, um, yeah,” he said and sighed when he saw that he wasn’t fooling Alec’s sister. “Actually, no.”

“What happened? What did Alec do this time?” asked Isabelle and Magnus shrugged.

“We’ve had a fight, nothing serious, I guess,” started Magnus and made a short pause. “We’ve ran into some of my friends at the bar and let’s just say that your brother wasn’t too keen on meeting them for some reason,” he went on by saying and looked down. “Before we came up, we both said some things and now we need to talk.”

“I see,” said Isabelle and gave Magnus another smile. “Please, forgive my brother. He tends to be a bit of an asshole when he’s under a lot of stress and pressure, which I’ve noticed that that is happening right now,” said Izzy and puffed her cheeks. “He tries to keep his emotions under control around people he loves, but in the end, it all explodes and it’s a mess. I know, I’ve seen it countless numbers of times.”

“I know, biscuit, I do,” said Magnus and shrugged. “It’s not just him that needs to apologise. I’ve said some stupid things as well, so I owe him an apology as well,” went on by saying Magnus and gave Isabelle a weak smile.

“Don’t worry, Magnus, you two love each other. Everything’s gonna be okay,” said Isabelle.

“I know,” said Magnus and nodded. “Thanks,” he added and Izzy chuckled.

“Papa, come here, come here,” was heard from the living room and both Magnus and Isabelle smiled. “Come see what I drew!” said the boy next and Magnus and Isabelle finally went into the living room as well.

* * *

 

“Is he asleep?” asked Magnus, who was sitting in the living room, when Alec stepped out of the boy’s bedroom and the younger one nodded. Isabelle left quite some time ago and with Max asleep, they were finally alone, which left them plenty of time to talk about the fight that happened earlier. It was such a stupid thing to be fighting over and even though it wasn’t a serious fight, it was their first one and definitely not the last one. The key in situations like this was communication.

“Yeah, he’s sleeping,” muttered Alec and walked to Magnus, sitting down next to him. He glanced at Magnus and saw that the older one was busy with observing the carpet on the floor. Alec pressed his lips together and then gently leaned against Magnus, gaining the older’s attention. Once Magnus looked up at him, Alec shrugged and took in a deep breath. He had practiced how he’d apologise to Magnus throughout the entire evening, but all that came to his mind sucked. He sucked at apologising and he knew that. “Magnus, I’m sorry,” whispered Alec and looked down. “You’re right, I had no right to take my anger out on you, I didn’t meant to. And I was a complete ass, I didn’t mean to act like that towards you friends,” he went on by saying and looked at Magnus, who nodded.

“You’re right, you had no right,” said Magnus and Alec’s heart fell to the pit of his stomach. Magnus wasn’t smiling like he usually was. “I was very happy that you’d finally meet them, so I _was_ disappointed with how things went,” he then added and sighed. “However,” said Magnus and placed his warm palm on top of Alec’s hand. “I should’ve asked you first if it was okay for them to join us over a drink. I know you weren’t in a good mood and didn’t want to go to that club in the first place. So, I’m sorry as well,” added Magnus. “Also, I said some things before that-”

“Magnus,” whispered Alec and sighed. To honest, he felt like shit, especially now that he saw that he made Magnus feel guilty as well. He pressed his lips together and closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the sofa. Lately, he had been put under a lot of pressure and when that happened, he always tried his best to have all of his emotions under control. But he sucked at that and he ended up snapping at other people; like he did on his co-worker that day and in the end, he even took out his anger on a person that he loved. God, he sucked.

“God, you’re too tensed up,” whispered Magnus when he placed a hand on top of Alec’s shoulder. Alec enjoyed the way that Magnus was rubbing his shoulder, so he moved a bit and turned, so that he was facing his back to Magnus and let out a small gasp when those talented, firm hands returned to his shoulders and Magnus smiled when he saw that Alec was enjoying himself and started relaxing his muscles. “Relax, darling.”

“Magnus?” asked Alec and threw his head forward when Magnus moved his fingers to his neck and gently started pressing his fingers into the flesh, working his fingers in circular motions.

“Hmm?” asked Magnus right above Alec’s ear, sending shivers up the younger’s spine.

“I really am sorry about before,” whispered Alec and bit into his lower lip when Magnus’ fingers went to his back, travelling up and down it, drawing small, uneven patterns. “About your friends,” he then added and made loose fists with his hands. “I want to meet them again,” he whispered and let out a hitched breath when he felt Magnus’ breath against his nape. “I want to make it up to you and to them. I-”

“I know, we’ll meet them some other time,” muttered Magnus and a smirk spread across his face when he watched Alec reacting to his touches. He was still so sensitive and easily embarrassed. “You’re forgiven, Alexander,” he added and chuckled when he finally felt Alec completely relaxing in his arms. “And for the record,” said the older male. “You don’t suck at apologising.”

Alec finally smiled and let out a deep breath; he was beyond happy that Magnus was so understanding. He wanted to say something else, but his train of thoughts was cut off when he felt Magnus’ lips against his neck, kissing his way up to his ear and Alec barely restrained himself from moaning out loud. Magnus’ hands were still roaming around his back and Alec relaxed completely; after a long day like that one, getting a massage was more than welcome… especially if the one giving it was Magnus.

“This feels nice,” muttered Alec and leaned his head back, gazing up at Magnus’ eyes, which were carefully observing him.

“I’m glad,” said Magnus and smiled as Alec turned around, facing him and finally giving him a proper kiss. “Do you want to continue? I could give you a proper massage if you’d like. It’ll do you good,” went on by saying Magnus, wanting to make his boyfriend comfortable. Also, he might’ve had some ulterior motives as well.

“Sounds good,” said Alec and allowed himself to be dragged into the bedroom as Magnus took his hand. Once in the bedroom, Alec climbed on top of the bed and Magnus was right behind him, kissing him gently, before speaking.

“Take off your sweater, angel,” whispered Magnus and Alec grinned.

“With pleasure.”

Once shirtless, Alec lied down and buried his face into his pillow, smiling when he felt Magnus coming closer to him. “Perfect,” commented Magnus, allowing himself a few moments to observe Alec’s bare back and he then bit into his lower lip. “Now, relax,” he added and placed his hands back on top of Alec’s back.

Once Alec nodded, Magnus slowly moved his hands. Alec closed his eyes at the contact, because Magnus’ warm hands felt really good against his back. Magnus’ hands went straight down and back up, not even once breaking contact with Alec’s back. Magnus moved his hands onto Alec’s shoulders and he slowly started massaging them, before moving his hands down and the older one used his fingers to get under and around Alec’s shoulder blades. Alec let out a sigh and then yawned, because the massage was making feel very relaxed and sleepy. Magnus chuckled when he saw Alec’s cute reaction and then he shook his head, focusing on massaging the other one.

He slid his hands down and bit and gently pressed down onto Alec’s back. Alec opened his eyes and let out a whimper of discomfort. Magnus flinched and quickly removed his hands from his boyfriend. “Sorry. Did I press too hard?”

“Not really,” said the other one and yawned again. “You can continue. It feels good.”

“Okay,” said Magnus, placing his hands back onto Alec. He then moved them in circular motion, drawing small circles on Alec’s back. Alec’s eyes became heavier again and he let them close. His breathing got deeper and slower and a small smile appeared on his lips. Magnus moved his hands a little bit more down and stopped them onto the other one’s hips. He could feel how Alec’s body tensed up under his touch, but since he didn’t say anything, Magnus continued with the massage.

With each breath that Alec took, he could feel how his body was getting lighter and lighter. He had to admit it; Magnus was very skilled with his hands and it was clear that he knew what he was doing. He let out a moan and buried his face deeper into the pillow. He could feel the older one’s hands slowly travelling up, slowly pressing down onto his back. He yawned yet again and Alec felt as if he was floating in the air.

“Alec,” whispered Magnus into Alec’s ear and that brought Alec back to reality, no longer feeling sleepy at all. He still felt relaxed, but became oddly conscious of the way Magnus straddled his legs and he flinched when he felt Magnus’ lips on his nape, kissing his way down, past his shoulder blades, down to his lower back. “Should I stop?” playfully asked Magnus and Alec quickly shook his head.

“N-no,” forced out Alec, his throat suddenly very dry and tight. “Please continue.”

Magnus chuckled when he saw how eager Alec looked and he smiled. “Very well,” he said and moved lower, placing his hands on top of Alec’s thighs then, slowly pressing his fingers into the flesh. However, the fact that Alec was still wearing his jeans annoyed Magnus and he moved back up, hooking a thumb under the waist line of the jeans. “Take off your pants, Alexander,” said Magnus, his voice suddenly low and Alec gasped. “And turn around.”

Alec felt heat pooling inside of his stomach and he quickly nodded. The way that Magnus said that made him hot all over again and he didn’t even try to hide the arousal in his jeans, it would be pointless. Magnus noticed that as well and he dragged his tongue over his lower lip. Without hesitating, Alec quickly undid the belt and zipper of his jeans, pulling them down to his ankles and he then threw them on the floor, making Magnus laugh when he saw how eager Alec was. Alec then looked at Magnus, who swallowed thickly and gasped.

“Magnus?”

“Boxers. Off. Now,” growled Magnus and Alec moaned and quickly obeyed. Sweet anticipation burned in his stomach as Magnus reached over to his night stand to take out the lube and the condoms. Alec’s heart hammered against his ribcage and he gripped the bedsheets as Magnus opened the bottle and he swallowed thickly. Because of his job, they haven’t done it in a while now and Alec could see that Magnus was on the edge as well. “Alexander,” muttered the older one and Alec’s eyes found his soon. Magnus’ eyes were dark with hunger, glazed with need and arousal. “Let me prepare you,” said Magnus softly and Alec nodded, earning a kiss on top of his head. “Spread your legs for me.”

“O-okay,” stammered Alec, whose voice was terribly uneven. Once he did as he was told, Magnus coated his fingers with generous amount of lube and slowly pushed a finger inside, soon adding a second digit as well. Alec barely controlled his moans as Magnus curled his fingers inside of him.

“Don’t hold back your moans, angel,” muttered Magnus and kissed Alec hungrily. “Let me hear everything.”

Alec’s eyes widened when Magnus’ fingers finally brushed against _that_ spot, making him unable to hold back his moans. His toes curled and he tried to even out his breathing, but soon Magnus’ fingers weren’t enough and he opened his eyes. Magnus noticed the unsatisfied look on his boyfriend’s face and he chuckled, knowing what Alec wanted. Not wanting to waste any more time, he got quickly rid of his clothes as well and tore a condom open with his teeth. That had to be one of the hottest things that Alec had ever witnessed and his heart skipped with excitement when Magnus rolled the condom down his length, bringing it closer to his entrance.

“Magnus,” whispered Alec against his boyfriend’s lips and arched his back when Magnus started kissing his neck, soon claiming his lips. They kissed sloppily and Alec let out a surprised gasp when Magnus suddenly pulled back and lifted his legs up. “Hurry up,” whimpered Alec and Magnus chuckled.

“Someone’s impatient,” chuckled Magnus and leaned down to kiss Alec. He then slowly started pushing himself inside of Alec, who gripped his shoulders and gritted his teeth as he felt Magnus’ member going through the first ring of muscles. Once fully inside, Magnus restrained himself from moving and allowed Alec to get used to having him inside.

“Magnus,” moaned Alec, driven insane because Magnus wouldn’t start moving. “Move, _please,_ ” pleaded Alec, his words sounding almost like a sob.

It was then that Magnus finally let go of his self-control and he nodded, giving Alec what he wanted. He gipped Alec’s sides firmly, but careful enough to not cause any bruises, and then slowly started moving his hips. Alec arched his back when Magnus started moving faster, picking up a much faster pace as Alec urged him to move faster and deeper. The younger one gripped the bedsheets as his mind was consumed by the haze of bliss and pleasure, Magnus taking a great pleasure in watching Alec’s face. Alec was a moaning and shivering mess and he wanted to say something, but all that left his mouth was moans and whimpers, far too gone into the pleasure to form any coherent sentences.

“Alec,” whispered Magnus and Alec look up at him, closing his eyes as Magnus leaned down to give him another sloppy kiss and the younger one wrapped his arms around Magnus’ neck, holding him close as the older one continued to pound into him. “You f-feel so good around me,” moaned Magnus and all that Alec could do was moan in response.

The pleasure was building up and Magnus knew that he wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. He came with a cry of Alec’s name and Alec’s eyes widened when he felt Magnus throbbing inside of him, pushed over the edge himself as well. He buried his face into Magnus’ shoulder as he came, shivering in Magnus’ arms and it took him a while to collect himself. When he finally came from the heights of his orgasm, he looked over at Magnus, who was already sitting on the bed and he smiled.

“I love you Alexander,” said Magnus, whose breathing was still heavily laboured, his hair messy and stuck onto his forehead from sweat. Alec laughed softly and came closer to his lover, kissing his temple and then sighed, resting his chin on to of Magnus’ shoulder.

“Same,” muttered the younger one and sighed.

“You’re adorable when we make love,” said Magnus and Alec blushed into deep colours of red.

“I’m not-”

“You are,” said Magnus and smiled. “It’s adorable that I can reduce you into such a stuttering and moaning mess,” went on by saying Magnus and grinned when he saw Alec making a confused face. “It’s also very hot,” he then added and Alec smirked.

“Come on, let’s take a shower,” said Alec and Magnus nodded, taking Alec’s hand and walked to the bathroom.

“Ready for round two, angel?” teased Magnus.

“What do you think?” asked Alec and Magnus’ loud laughter filled the bathroom as Alec pushed him inside of the shower, trapped him against the tiled wall with his body and kissed him hungrily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the support so far :) I really appreciate it ^^
> 
> And as always, comments & opinions are well appreciated ^^


	16. Chapter 16

It was the next day morning and for a change, Max woke up earlier than Magnus and Alec. It was Monday, so Max knew that he had to get up early and get ready for preschool. As he sat up onto the bed, he let out a loud yawn and he then rubbed his tired eyes, sitting on the bed for a few moments, just so that he could collect himself a little bit. Once ready, he slowly climbed off of his bed and let out another yawn and then picked up his toy, which always fell onto the floor during the night. Max pressed his lips together and then gave the Minion plush a big hug and a kiss as well, as an apology for making him sleep on the hard and cold floor for the entire night. Carefully he placed the toy on top of his bed and then pulled the bedcovers up, tucking the Minion in and he smiled.

“Night, night,” muttered the boy and then smiled when he heard talking coming from the kitchen. But he could quickly recognise the voices and he frowned, because they didn’t belong either to Papa or daddy. From what he could hear, it was Jace and Isabelle that were talking in the kitchen, leaving Max completely confused. Then again, he never minded seeing his uncle and aunt; they were cool people to hang around. Isabelle always told him interesting stories, while his uncle Jace usually just chased with him around the house, keeping the boy entertained.

Max slowly opened the door of his bedroom and then walked to where his dad was sleeping. He saw that the door was still closed, so that meant that Magnus and Alec really were still asleep. Not knowing that the hour was, Max decided to go to the kitchen after all. Once arriving there, he opened the door and chuckled when he saw that Jace was sitting on the chair, while Isabelle appeared to be cooking something. Aunt Izzy was really an enthusiastic cook, but even Max didn’t like her food very much. On the other hand, he was the only one who didn’t have the heart to tell her that and most of the times ended up eating the stuff that she prepared for him.

“Izzy,” said Jace and frowned. “Let’s just wait for them to wake up in the living room,” said Jace and rolled his eyes, because the other was just too stubborn to actually listen to him. “Look, I know that you’re trying to do a good thing, but _cooking_ them breakfast isn’t the best idea,” said the blonde and sighed. “Especially if you’re the one cooking it,” he said under his breath, but Isabelle heard him and glared at him.

“You’re an idiot, Jace,” said Isabelle, offended. “Max is the only one that appreciates my cooking and you people are-”

“Oh, _please_ ,” said Jace and started laughing out loud when he remembered just how much Max really enjoyed her cooking. “He just doesn’t have the heart to tell you that-”

“Shush,” said Isabelle and Jace stopped talking, but the smirk on his face remained. “Besides, I don’t really care if they eat it or not… I told you why I came here, right?” asked Isabelle and Jace nodded. “After the fight they had yesterday, Magnus looked really upset. I just need to see if our stupid brother apologised to him. If not, I swear I’m gonna smack him so hard.”

Max’s eyes widened when he heard that Alec and Magnus had a fight yesterday and he quickly stepped closer to his aunt and uncle, the two of them noticing him only then. He had no ideas that Papa and daddy had a fight yesterday, to him they were getting along. Were they only pretending? That thought scared little Max and his heart fell to the pit of his stomach as he walked to Jace, who sent him a warm smile.

“Oh, look Izzy, Max’s awake already,” said Jace and scooped up the boy into his arms as he was close enough and ruffled his dark hair. “Good morning,” he then added and Max looked up at him, the worried expression written all over his face and he placed his little hands together as he chewed on his lower lip.

“Hey there, squirt,” she said and chuckled when she saw her nephew. “Did you sleep okay?” she asked and then her eyes widened when he saw Max’s expression. She quickly dropped what she was doing and came closer to Jace, getting down onto her knees, so that she could see Max’s face properly.

“Max?” asked Jace. “Did you not sleep okay?”

“Nightmares?” asked Isabelle quickly and looked up at Jace, who nodded.

“N-no, no nightmares,” stammered the boy and looked at his aunt. “Daddy and Papa had a fight?” he then asked with a small voice and closed his eyes. He hated it when people fought with each other, more than other people knew.

Isabelle quickly closed her mouth when she heard Max ask that and she cursed mentally; so he didn’t know. And she knew that Alec wasn’t going to be too happy when he’d hear what she blurted out in front of his son. However, maybe the fact that the boy didn’t know about their fight, was actually a good sign; they probably ended up making up pretty soon. She then looked at Jace, who was also trying to come up something, but ended up just shrugging his shoulders and Isabelle rolled her eyes. Then again, it was her mess and she needed to make it right.

“Magnus said that there was a misunderstanding between him and Alec, that’s all,” started Isabelle slowly and Max carefully watched her, quite quickly realising that his aunt was now just making things up and he sent her an angry look. Even though he was little, he hated it when people hid the truth from him. To him, that was the same as lying and he didn’t know why adults did that. Wasn’t in easier to just tell the truth all the time?

“You said they had a _fight_ ,” stated the boy and Jace sighed.

“Yeah, but you know your aunt, she is often exaggerating,” said Jace, in hope that would calm down the little boy. “Magnus said that it wasn’t serious, it was childish for them to even argue over such a thing. I’m sure that they had a proper talk, you know how most adults,” went on by saying Jace and Max frowned, but in the end nodded, because he kind of understood what his uncle was trying to tell him. However, what if they didn’t have a talk about it? Max’s eyes widened when he remembered hearing his dad yelling in the middle of night last night when he woke up and all of the colour drained from his face.

“W-what if-if they didn’t make up?” whispered Max with a small voice and his lower lip started trembling. “L-last night, I heard-”

“Morning, everyone,” said a voice, interrupting Max and both, Alec and Magnus stepped into the kitchen. They had just woken up, Alec still half asleep and was allowing Magnus to guide him into the kitchen. A smell of fresh made coffee entered Alec’s lungs and he inhaled deeply; he really needed coffee at a time like that. Magnus, walked to Izzy, who was standing behind the counter and smiled when he smelled that the girl was cooking something. A breakfast, perhaps? Magnus’ stomach made a growling sound and his mouth watered; he was starving.

“Hey, Izzy, what’re you making?” asked Magnus, oblivious to Izzy’s cooking skills in the kitchen.

“Dude, I wouldn’t eat that if I were you,” said Jace and Magnus frowned, but soon realised what the other meant when he looked into the pan to see what Isabelle was preparing. He sent her a weak smile and tried to ignore Jace’s warning out of politeness, even though the thing in the pan didn’t look too appetising.

“Just some bacon and scrambled eggs,” replied Isabelle happily, satisfied that someone was finally showing genuine interest in her breakfast.

“Ah, I see,” said Magnus weakly and looked at Alec, who was holding back his laughter.

“What are you doing here anyway?” asked Alec as he sat down next to Jace and placed a hand on top of Max’s head, who was just ignoring everyone around him at that point. The troubled expression on Max’s face didn’t go unnoticed from Alec’s eyes, but he decided not to make a big deal out of it in front of everyone. Max still didn’t like to be put in the centre of attention.

“I just wanted to see how you’re doing,” lied Isabelle and Max sent her an angry look.

“Daddy, did you and Papa have a fight yesterday?” asked Max quickly and Isabelle quicky looked away.

“Who told you?” asked Magnus softly and the boy pointed to his aunt and uncle. Alec pressed his lips together and sighed, there was no point in getting angry with his sister and brother; they weren’t trying to hurt anyone.

“Look, Alec-”

“No, it’s fine, Iz,” said Alec and shrugged. “That’s right, we did have a fight yesterday, but we managed to work things out pretty soon, Max, you shouldn’t worry about it too much. It was a pretty silly thing to get upset over, anyway.”

“B-but, last night, you-” started Max and then stopped talking as his eyes grew huge. When he remembered what he heard, it really didn’t sound like fighting and he finally smiled. To be honest, it sounded more like the two of them were wrestling and to Max’s knowledge, it was Papa who won. Daddy’s yelling and whining made that pretty clear to him. Max’s bad mood disappeared in a blink of an eye and he giggled; daddy and Papa were silly to play wrestling in the middle of the night, but it was still better than fighting.

“What happened last night, Max?” asked Magnus and gave the boy an encouraging smile.

“Daddy and Papa were wrestling,” said Max and giggled.

“Huh?” asked Jace and glanced at Alec, who shrugged, because he didn’t get it. Isabelle and Magnus were just as equally confused as the other two. Neither of them knew what the hell was the boy talking about, so they all stayed silent and waited for Max to continue. The boy, however, didn’t know why the grownups suddenly stopped talking and he cocked his head to the side.

“Yes,” exclaimed Max happily. “And I think that Papa won. I think that daddy lost, because he was asking Papa to move and he was yelling a lot,” went on by saying Max, leaving the entire room shocked for the first few seconds.

Alec, who was currently sipping on his coffee, almost choked on it and his face went into deep shades of red when he realised just what Max actually meant by _wrestling._ As he was having a coughing fit, all of the colour drained from Jace’s face and he was mortified when he heard Max’s innocent words. His eyes grew huge as he glanced at Alec, who was still coughing and he frowned. Max’s bedroom wasn’t all that close and even so, they probably had their door closed. How on Earth could Max hear them?

Isabelle, on the other hand, started laughing out loud and sent a proud look to Alec, who just mouthed her a quick ‘stop it,’ when he finally stopped coughing, but that didn’t stop her from laughing. Calmest of them all, was Magnus. He knew what Max heard, but he didn’t let that bother him, at least he didn’t let it show on the outside. He was calmly sipping on his coffee and arched an eyebrow as he watched the other’s reaction and he muttered something under his breath, before he stepped closer to confused Max and picked him up.

“Papa, why is everyone acting so weird?” whispered Max, who really didn’t get it.

“Pay no attention to them, Max,” said Magnus and chuckled when he glanced at Alec; his blush was precious and he then went back to Max. He would be lying if he said that he didn’t find this whole situation amusing, but he needed to get Max ready for preschool. “Let’s get ready for school, okay? Come, I’ll help you pick out your clothes.”

“Okay,” said Max happily.

* * *

 

Max was happily giggling as he was crafting something. He was currently in preschool and Magnus brought that day a bunch of clay, so that the kids could craft something fun from it. He showed them a couple of easy things to make, such as cups and several small animals. The kids looked pleased in interested in making something fun out of it and he was glad about that. With a smile on his face, Magnus watched how Max was happily giggling as he was making something, but it was another surprise, so Magnus wasn’t allowed to go closer to him and he respected the boy’s wishes, so he kept his distance just a little bit. This time, the surprise was supposed to be for both him and Alec, so he could really hide his smile as he watched Max and he let out a happy sigh.

Max was indeed making a new present, for both his Papa and daddy. The thing that he was making were two rings, made out of clay. He wished that Magnus and Alec could get married, more than anything in the world, but the little boy couldn’t really comprehend why they wouldn’t just do it. If you loved another person, you were supposed to marry them, right? Max did a lot of thinking and in the end came to the conclusion why Papa and daddy weren’t married yet; you can’t marry without a ring, can you? Max was old and smart enough, he was a big boy after all, to know that rings were essential to every wedding.

However, Max soon faced a problem with his gifts – he had no idea how big daddy’s and Papa’s fingers was. Wanting to make the gift perfect and special, he felt his heart falling to the pit of his stomach and he lowered his head in disappointment; his special present probably wasn’t going to be perfect. After a few more minutes of thinking about the matter, he just decided to go with it, winging it was a good way as well. He puffed his cheeks and rolled up his sleeves, taking a lump of the clay and he rolled it into a ball. Max then placed it onto the desk and started rolling it up and down, making a snake-like creature. He then connected the ends together. After some more decorating, he decided that Magnus’ ring was ready and he went on to making Alec’s ring. With both rings done, one slightly larger than the other, Max covered it with a piece of newspaper and then walked to Magnus, to ask him where he should put his rings, so that that the clay could dry and harden properly.

Magnus carried Max’s rings to a safe spot, of course, promising the boy that he wouldn’t look at his surprise, which he didn’t. Though the way that Max was giggling and smiling _was_ making him pretty curious. So, the next day, when Alec came to pick up Magnus and the man was all done with his work, Max placed the rings into a small box that Magnus gave to him and carefully placed it into his bag, making Alec curious as well. All that Magnus told him was that Max had prepared something special for them and honestly, he couldn’t wait to see his son’s present. Max was a talented and creative little boy, so he knew that he must’ve prepared something great and special again; like always.

By the time they got home, Max couldn’t hide his excitement anymore and as soon as they came to Magnus’ place, where Alec and Max decided to spend the rest of the day, the boy made both men sit down in Magnus’ living room as he opened the zipper of his bag and pulled out the small box, placing it onto the coffee table, that was in front of the sofa, where Alec and Magnus were sitting down.

“What do you have in there, young man?” asked Magnus and chuckled when Max clapped his little palms together as he was unable to hold back the excitement anymore.

“Open it, open it,” he said, jumping up and down and Alec chuckled.

“Okay,” said Alec and opened the box, Magnus leaning closer to see what it was, because it had been bugging for two days now. Alec’s eyes widened when he opened the box and took a closer look at it, blinking a few times and when he showed it to Magnus, the man smiled widely when he saw the two rings. Magnus’ heart literally melted just at the thought of Max making them for them and he carefully took them out of the box, placing them onto the table. “Rings?” asked Alec then, taken back a little, but he had to admit it, it was beyond precious of Max to do that for them.

“Yes. This one is for you, Papa,” said Max, pointing to the smaller one and then pointed to the larger one as he said: “And this one is for you, daddy.”

“Thank you, Max,” said Alec and chuckled as he took the ring that was meant for him and turned it in his hand.

“Yeah, they look lovely,” added Magnus as he was observing his ring as well. Even though he didn’t know why Max gave them the rings, his heart swelled with happiness either way and he slowly slipped his ring on. It was too big for his fingers, but he didn’t let that show to Max, because he knew how hard he worked on them and he smiled. “It’s perfect.”

Max giggled and leaned over to Alec. “You put it on as well, daddy,” said Max and Alec nodded, slipping the ring onto his thumb and he chuckled, placing a hand on top of Max’s head and gently ruffled his hair.

“Magnus is right, they are amazing. Thank you for the present, we really like it,” said Alec and Magnus nodded in unison. “Though, I don’t get it. Why rings, Max?”

“So that you and Papa can get married, silly,” said Max as if that was the most obvious thing in the world and giggled.

“M-married?” asked Alec and his face reddened, his heart hammering against his ribcage and he pressed his lips together as Max kept on a serious face and cocked his head to the side, because he didn’t understand his dad’s reaction.

“Yes, you can’t get married without a ring,” said Max seriously and looked up at Magnus, who was trying not to smile too widely. Both, Alec and Max were beyond precious to be honest. Max’s serious expression made him chuckle and he bit into his lower lip; it was amazing just how much Max understood for his young age and his wish for them getting married was adorable. He glanced at Alec, who was still blushing, but had a smile on his face as his thoughts were similar to Magnus’. “Right, Papa?” asked Max and blinked a few times.

“That’s quite correct,” said Magnus and looked at Alec again. “So, darling, when’s the wedding?” he joked and Max started laughing out loud when Alec pressed a hand over his mouth, to stop him from talking.

Magnus gently removed Alec’s hand from his mouth and gently took it into his hand, gently grazing the ring on Alec’s fingers and he let out a happy sigh as he linked their fingers together. One day, he would love to marry Alec and just the thought of that warmed his heart and he gently kissed Alec, pressing their lips together a few times and Alec had a huge smile on his face when they parted. Max giggled and skipped over to the two men, Alec picking him up into his arms almost immediately and the boy laughed happily as Chairman Meow came from his hiding spot to greet him with a loud meow. While Max ran off to play with Chairman, Magnus and Alec were still sitting on the sofa and Magnus slowly let his head fall down onto the younger’s shoulder. Chairman Meow’s loud meowing, Max’ giggling and the sound Alec’s slow breathing filled his eardrums, making him the happiest man alive at the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The 'wrestling' idea (part) was suggested by Drowningmermaid and I decided to include it, because I found it to be hilarious. I hope you liked it ^^
> 
> Thanks for the support so far :) I really appreciate it ^^
> 
> And as always, comments & opinions are well appreciated ^^


	17. Chapter 17

Max, Magnus and Alec were in the preschool with the rest of Magnus' class. It was already pretty late into the afternoon, but the kids stayed longer in the school that day, because there was a school recital coming up and they were getting ready for it. Handling so many kids on his own was kind of difficult and since no one wanted to help, because apparently all of them were really busy with other things, Magnus begged Alec for help, who was more than happy to help out his boyfriend. He didn’t mind helping Magnus watching over the kids, neither did he mind with helping him creating the recital programme. Some of the kids had singing performances and other decided that they’d rather dance. Max was on the team with the dancing kids, because he didn’t feel comfortable with singing in front of the whole school.

Max wasn’t really too fond of the idea of dancing in front of the whole school either. But since he wasn’t going to be in the centre of attention, that eased him a little bit and even though at first he didn’t want to perform, Wendy managed to convince him into dancing. The only reason that Max agreed to it was because the girl promised to dance with him, so he was extra motivated to learn the dance steps, because he wanted to impress Wendy.

Currently, Max was standing next to Wendy and was chatting with her as they were waiting for Magnus to start teaching them the dance. Magnus was the type of person, who loved dancing. In the past, he even dreamed of becoming a full-time dancer, but getting injured in a car crash when he was still a teen, left him unable to pursue that career. It took him a while to accept that, but he soon found something that he loved just as much as dancing; teaching. Magnus smiled when he saw that room was full of curious eyes, waiting for him to start teaching them the dance and he signed Alec to come closer, the younger’s eyes widening. Why did Magnus need his help with dancing? There was no logical explanation, he sucked at dancing. But in the end, he did come closer to the older one and let out a small sigh.

“Magnus, you know I can’t dance,” whispered Alec and Magnus just rolled his eyes. Why was Alec so self-conscious? The room was full of kids, no one was going to make fun of him if he makes a full out of himself.

“Shh, darling,” said Magnus softly, shushing his boyfriend for the time being and Max giggled when he saw that Alec made a face as Magnus turned around to the class and pressed his palms together,  taking in a deep breath. “So, now I’ll teach you how to dance a very simple dance, does that sound okay?” asked the man and kids nodded happily. “First, I’d like you to all divide into pairs.”

“Yes, Mr. Bane,” replied kids in unison and started looking for a pair to dance with. Max quickly tugged onto Wendy’s sleeve and the girl quickly nodded, taking his hand into her own and Alec chuckled when he saw how happy Max looked. The boy still had a crush on her, huh? Max’s face coloured itself into a bright pink colour as he was unable to prevent himself from blushing as Wendy kept on holding his hand.

Once each child had a pair, Magnus nodded and then stepped next to Alec, giving him a warm smile as he stood next to him, face to face. “So, we’ll start the dance like this. First, face each other,” he started and slowly took both of Alec’s hands into his own, making the younger one blush as well and Magnus chuckled when he saw that reaction. Adorable. “Hold hands with the person you’re with, just like the way I’m holding Mr. Lightwood’s hands, okay?” said Magnus and gently squeezed Alec’s hands. Some of the kids started giggling, the others didn’t want to hold hands, because they were too embarrassed. Max, on the other hand, had a very serious expression on his face and despite his embarrassment, he took both of Wendy’s hands into his own and Wendy giggled when she saw the look on Max’s face.

“Good job everyone,” said Magnus once everyone was holding hands and smiled, praise was definitely one of the most important ways to motivate children. “Okay, now I want everyone to pay attention,” he went on by saying and smiled when the children nodded. “We’ll start the dance like this,” started Magnus and looked up at Alec, who sent him a confused look and quickly shook his head.

“Magnus-”

“Alexander, it’s nothing complicated, a 5 year old can learn the dance in a few minutes,” joked Magnus silently and Alec ended up giving up and he just rolled his eyes and nodded. “Just follow my lead and you’ll do fine,” he then went on by saying and turned around to face the children. “Now then,” he started and smiled. “The first step of the dance will go like this. You’ll take one step towards the door,” explained Magnus and then made one step to the right, pulling Alec along with him. Because Alec was somewhere else with his thoughts, he awkwardly stumbled over his own feet and the whole class burst into laughter. Magnus pressed his lips together and tried not to laugh as well, but it was kind of impossible with the look that Alec had on his face. “You okay, angel?” whispered Magnus and Alec cleared his throat.

“Yes, uh, of course,” he stammered and forced a smile.

“Great,” said Magnus and then turned around once again. “Now, you follow me as well,” said Magnus to the class and everyone nodded, stepping the same way as Magnus and Alec did, making the older one chuckle. “Awesome,” said Magnus and then nodded. “The next step is similar to this one. The only difference is that we’ll be stepping to our other side. We now moved this way,” said Magnus and pointed to the way with his right hand. “Now, we’ll be stepping that way, towards the window, okay?” said Magnus and pointed to his left. “Just like this,” he said and stepped to his left, this time Alec paying attention and he stepped on his right, smiling when Magnus chuckled.

Magnus turned around and nodded as the kids followed his steps from before. “You’re all doing so good, good job,” said Magnus and Max’s face beamed with joy when Magnus complimented them. “Now, we’ll just practice these two steps,” went on by saying Magnus and Alec chuckled as he looked towards Max, who tried to maintain a serious expression on his face. “Now, take a step towards the door,” said Magnus and the kids did as they were told to. “And now one to the window,” said Magnus and happily clapped with his hands. “That’s it.”

The next thing that Magnus did was turn on the music and instructed the kids to try to do those two steps along with the music, telling them to pay attention to the rhythm. As they were practicing on their own, Magnus returned back to Alec and chuckled when he saw Alec looking at Max dancing with Wendy. The boy looked so focused that it was beyond precious, making both of the men smile widely.

“He’s trying so hard to impress her, it’s adorable,” whispered Alec and Magnus silently laughed, nodding.

“Yes, they are just too adorable together,” said Magnus quietly and let out a small, but happy sigh. He chuckled when Alec took his hand into his own when the kids weren’t paying attention and gave it a gentle squeeze, making Magnus’ heart melt at the process. The older one was tempted to kiss Alec at that point, but in the end managed to restrain himself from doing so as the song ended. Kids wouldn’t probably mind the kiss, but some parents would, so that was something that Magnus always reminded himself. He then cleared his throat, released Alec’s hand and continued to teach the children the rest of the song.

* * *

 

It was the evening of the recital and Alec was helping the children get into costumes. Max, however, was nowhere to be found. Magnus agreed that he’d go look for him, while Alec would help the others out and the younger male agreed, though he was still worried about where his son might’ve gone. On their way to the school, Max was shaking with fear, so Alec knew that Max just probably went somewhere to hide, because he used to do that back in the day when things would get too scary for him. Both, Alec and Magnus, agreed that it would be completely okay for Max not to perform if he was too scared.

However, not performing was out of question for Max. Not only that he’d make Wendy sad for not dancing with her, but he’d be letting down others as well. Both Papa and daddy worked really hard on the show, so the little boy felt bad about his fear. Plus, the fact that his other relatives came to see the recital was making him even more nervous and while Magnus and Alec were dealing with others, the poor boy felt so lost that he ran away and hid himself into the boy’s bathroom.

Because Magnus couldn’t find Max right away he was growing concerned where the boy might’ve gone. However, when he walked past the boy’s bathroom, he heard quiet sniffling coming from it and he sighed, weight lifting off of his shoulders when he saw Max sitting on the cold, tiled floor by the sinks. His heart cracked when he saw Max, the boy was pinned against the wall, hugging his legs and he had his face buried into his knees, his entire body shaking as he was silently crying. Magnus quickly hurried to him and got down onto his knees, Max letting out a surprised yelp when he suddenly felt a hand on top of his head.

“Here you are,” said Magnus softly and pressed his lips together. “I was searching everywhere for you and I was really scared when I couldn’t first find you,” muttered the man and forced a weak smile on his lips when Max looked up at him and his eyes welled up again. Not only that he was scared, but he made Magnus upset as well. His lower lip trembled and just as he was burst into crying, Magnus quickly scooped him up into his arms and gave him a big, warm hug. “Shh, don’t cry, I’m not angry,” said Magnus quickly and pressed a kiss on top of Max’s head and smiled when he felt the boy relaxing in his arms. “Just tell us first the next time, okay?”

“Uh huh,” whispered Max and sniffled, wiping away his tears and he pressed his tiny lips together as Magnus pulled back a little, but didn’t release him as he was still holding him in his arms. Max felt safe and comfortable there, he didn’t want to leave the warmth and security of Magnus’ arms.

“Good,” said Magnus and smiled. “Now, then… from what I can see, you’re afraid of performing in front of everyone, right?” asked Magnus and Max slowly nodded, looking down because he felt as if he had disappointed Magnus. “I understand, don’t worry. If you’re feeling too nervous, you don’t have to go on there today, okay? I don’t want to push you into doing something you wouldn’t-”

“I-I want to,” stated Max and gulped. “Wendy will be angry if I don’t,” said Max with a small voice. “A-and so many people came to see me, even grandpa and grandma,” said the boy and nervously chewed on his lower lip. Magnus knew exactly how Max felt and he nodded as he placed the boy back down onto the ground and Max sighed silently.

“I understand. This is very important to you, isn’t it?” asked Magnus and Max nodded. “I can teach you a little trick that’ll make things less scary. Interested?” asked Magnus and chuckled when Max’s eyes lit up and then the boy nodded. “Good. Well, if things get too scary on the stage, just remember that nothing bad will happen. Also, if you feel there’s too many people watching you, just concentrate on one person… be it me, or Alec, or even other people. If you think only of them, you’ll be able to ignore the other people in the room. At least that’s what I did when I had my first recital,” said Magnus and his smile faltered. Back then, he didn’t really have to pretend that he was ignoring other people, no one from his family came to see him and he had to deal with it all on his own.

“O-okay, I’ll try to do that,” whispered Max and smiled up at the man. “T-thank you, Papa,” he then whispered, ignoring the fact that they were still at preschool.

“You’re welcome very much, young man,” said Magnus and Max giggled when Magnus lifted him up again. The annoying feeling in his tummy was still present, but he felt a lot better now that Papa had revealed him his secret on how not to be afraid in front of other people. “Now, let’s go find Alec,” said Magnus and Max happily nodded.

Once they walked back to the classroom, where all the other kids were already dressed in their costumes, Magnus smiled when he saw Wendy standing next to Alec and it was clear that the girl was waiting for Max as well. As soon as the boy saw the girl, Magnus placed him onto the floor and Wendy ran up to Max. “Where were you?” she asked, worried as well. Alec, on the other hand, felt weight lifting off of his shoulders when he saw that Magnus found Max and he let out a happy sigh. “Your dad said you don’t want to dance with me tonight?” she then asked with a small voice and Max quickly shook his head, his face warming up.

“I want to, I do,” said Max quickly and walked closer to the girl. “I’m a big boy,” he said and patted his chest. “I’m not afraid anymore,” he then added and gave the girl a small smile.

“Pinkie promise?” asked Wendy and extended her hand out, offering her pinkie to Max.

“Yes, pinkie promise,” said Max and giggled happily as he wrapped his finger around Wendy’s pinkie and was happy when he saw that his answer made the girl happy. His face warmed even more when she walked closer and then a loud gasp left his mouth when Wendy pressed a quick kiss onto his cheek, running away to her parents after that.

Magnus and Alec were just happily watching the scene unfold in front of their eyes, both looking like proud parents. The whole crush thing was beyond adorable to both of them. Alec chuckled when Max hid his red face into his palms and after a few seconds of deep breaths, finally started to get dressed into his costume. He didn’t look scared anymore and was in fact even looking forward to dancing in front of everyone, all of his previous worries disappeared into thin air.

“Well, looks like he got his motivation back,” said Alec and Magnus chuckled.

“Does someone else need some motivation as well?” teased Magnus and Alec sent him a confused look, but his confusion was put to rest when Magnus tugged onto his tie and pulled him out of the crammed classroom onto the empty hallway. People were already preschool's small auditorium, because the recital was about to start at any moment, so Magnus didn’t hesitate to kiss Alec that time properly. The kiss lasted barely a second, but it was enough to make Alec feel energised all over again and he chuckled.

“Thank you, Mr. Bane, for lifting my spirits up. You truly are a _gifted_ teacher,” commented Alec and laughed quietly as Magnus pressed a quick kiss against his temple as well. Magnus gently touched the ring that was around Alec’s neck and bit into his lower lip; because the rings that Max made for them were too big for their fingers, the two of them wore them as a pendant of a necklace and Alec chuckled when he saw that Magnus was wearing his ring as well.

“Now then, the recital is supposed to start at any minute. We should get going,” said Magnus and Alec nodded, following Magnus back into the classroom.

After that, the recital had started and everything went smoothly. Max seemed a lot more confident than before and he wasn’t nervous as well as he was dancing with Wendy. Magnus’ trick worked, he concentrated only on Wendy and the usual fear was gone, just like that. Both Alec and Magnus couldn’t be any prouder of Max. After the recital ended they, including the Lightwoods, went out to grab something to eat for dinner.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the support so far :) I really appreciate it ^^
> 
> And as always, comments & opinions are well appreciated ^^


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec's on a business meeting for a week, both Max and Magnus miss him terribly

Max was spending the time over Magnus' place, because Alec was currently out of town. Because of his work, Alec had to leave the town for a week and at first he wanted to decline the offer. It was true that the week would bring him many advantages at the work place, plus, he really wanted to go as well. However, he knew that he wouldn't be able to leave, because of Max. The boy was still quite attached to him, so he thought there was no way. So, he was quite surprised when Max told him that it was okay for him to leave. According to the boy, he would spend time with his beloved Papa anyway, so he wouldn't get lonely at all. Neither scared, because he trusted Magnus with all his heart.

Alec was able to change his mind when Magnus had told him that it was okay for Max to stay over at his place. The boy loved spending time there; there he was able to play with Chairman Meow. Also, Isabelle and Jace had promised him that they would watch over Max as well, so Alec shouldn’t be too worried about leaving for just a week; it wasn’t even the whole week, but only 5 days.

Magnus, on the other hand, was feeling bad. After Alec left the town for business trip, the boy was happy for the first few days. However, on the fourth day, he started moping around and even though he said that he was okay, the man knew that the boy must’ve missed Alec. Heck, he’d be lying if he said that he wasn’t missing him as well. It was definitely hard for him, but it was that much harder for Max, because he was never separated from Alec for such a long time. Magnus sighed when he glanced at Max, who was silently sitting on the floor and was petting his cat, trying not to look too gloomy, but Magnus didn’t want that. He’d rather see Max sad than to see him pretending to be in a good mood.

“Max, should we do something?” asked Magnus and walked over to the boy, placing a hand on top of his head. “We could play a game if you’d like.”

“Okay,” said Max and shrugged looking up at the man and gave him a small smile. Magnus sighed and sat down next to Max.

“You miss him, huh?” asked Magnus and Max looked up at the man, nodding slowly. “I know, I miss him too,” whispered Magnus and gave Max a small smile, who felt a bit better to see that he wasn’t the only one in bad mood. It wasn’t like Max didn’t like spending time with Papa, but it was much better if the three of them were all together. He’d feel the same if Magnus went off to somewhere for such a long time.

“He’s gonna come home tomorrow, right?” asked Max.

“That’s correct,” said Magnus and chuckled when Max climbed into his lap. Magnus then placed a hand on top of Max’s head and sighed; Max would probably feel a lot better if he could just see Alec. If there only was a way… Oh wait! An idea popped into Magnus’ mind and a wide smile spread across his face. Why not just call Alec over the video chat?

“Wait a second,” said Magnus to himself when he realised that and looked down at Max. “I know that Alec isn’t here now, but you would still at least like to see him, right?”

“Yeah,” said Max and nodded. “How?”

“You’ll see,” said Magnus happily and kissed Max’s temple before going to the kitchen for a few minutes to call Alec just to make sure that the other one was at home. He knew that Max would be very excited if he could talk to Alec through the camera. He quickly dialled Alec’s number and then waited for the other one to pick up.

Currently, Alec was in his hotel room, tired after the long day, which was filled with meetings and all that he wanted to do was to see Magnus and Max. Tomorrow, he was returning back home and even though he was away from the two of them for only four days, if felt like forever to Alec. Coming back to an empty hotel room sucked and it made him feel quite depressed. He pressed his lips together and closed his eyes, sighing as his thoughts wandered off to Magnus.

He wanted to touch Magnus, to hold the other one in his arms. He squeezed the pillow tighter to himself and he closed his eyes. He longed for Magnus’ touches and kisses. Alec let out a frustrated sigh and then forced himself to open his eyes. Yes, he hated that Magnus couldn’t be with him at that moment. And he missed Max just as much. It made him wonder what the two of them were doing at the moment. Were they having fun? As he continued to think about that, his phone started ringing and he smiled when he saw Magnus’ name written on the screen.

“Hello,” said the voice from the other side of the phone call. “I hope that I’m not disturbing or anything,” added Magnus. Alec chuckled, because he could hear Max saying something in the background and he quickly got up into sitting position and yawned. He suddenly felt very tired and sleepy, but still happy that he was able to hear Magnus after the long day that he had.

“Oh, hi,” said Alec, his voice kind of raspy from the lack of use. “No you aren’t disturbing me. What’s up?”

“Good then. Do you have some time, Alexander?” asked Magnus.

"Sure, I have plenty of free time on my hands," said Alec and let out a small sigh. "I'm done with the meetings for the day. The others went out to grab something to drink, but I didn't feel like going. So, now I'm all alone in my hotel room," muttered the man and pressed his lips together. "I'm pretty bored, so yes, I have plenty of time on my hands," added Alec. "What's up? How are you? How's Max?"

"We're okay," said Magnus and looked at Max, who walked closer to him and patiently waited to be able to see Alec. "Max's just feeling a bit down, because he misses you. And I would be lying if I said that I didn't feel the same," said Magnus and Max nodded, his eyes widening just a little bit. The boy gently tugged onto Max's shirt and the man nodded, gently ruffling Max's hair.

"I feel bad," whispered Alec and puffed his cheeks. "Thank god that I'm coming back home tomorrow. I honestly thought that the trip was gonna be more fun, but it isn't, at all," went on by complaining Alec and Magnus chuckled, because he could tell that the Grumpy Alec was starting to show his presence.

“Don't feel bad, angel,” said Magnus and made a short pause. "Since you have plenty of free time on your hands, as you have mentioned, how about we chat for a little bit over the computer, on the camera? Max would love to see you, wouldn't you Max?" asked Magnus and Alec chuckled when he heard a loud 'yes' coming from the other side of the phone call.

“Sure, sounds like fun,” added Alec and walked to his laptop, turning it on. “I’m already logged in.”

“Okay. See you in a bit,” said Magnus and ended the phone call, looking over at Max, who was still looking up at him and he picked him up. Max's eyes were full of curiosity and excitement, wanting to hear Magnus' reply already. “I have some good news. Alec has time and you’ll be able to see him,” said Magnus and watched how Max’s face brightened up. There was just one problem; little Max couldn't comprehend how he'd be able to see his dad. Wasn't he supposed to be in a whole different city?

"How will we see daddy, Papa? Isn't he on a trip?" asked Max innocently and Magnus grinned.

“Just come with me and you'll see,” he then said and even though Max had more questions, he followed Papa into is bedroom in complete silence.

After Magnus prepared everything for their little video-chat thing, he turned on his computer and logged into computer. As soon as he did that, he had an incoming video call from Alec and he let out a quiet laughter. Max was curiously observing Magnus, but didn’t say anything. Also, he was too excited to see Alec. So, as soon as Magnus answered Alec’s call and a picture of Alec appeared on the computer screen, and Max let out a surprised and excited yelp.

“Papa, look, look… It’s daddy,” said Max and pointed to screen.

Alec smiled to himself as soon as he saw that Magnus had already logged in and he didn't waste any time. As soon as the other one was logged in, the younger one clicked on the video-call button and felt how his heart sped up with excitement when the call was answered by Magnus. A few seconds later, a picture of Magnus and Max appeared on the computer screen and Alec's heart almost melted when he saw that Max was happily dancing around and Alec let out a happy chuckle. Yes, he could definitely tell that Max was excited to see him.

"Hello," said Alec after a few seconds, giving some time to his son to calm down a little bit. "How is everyone?" he then asked after noticing Magnus standing there as well.

"I am happy to see you daddy," announced the boy as he kept on waving to the camera. Max then looked at Magnus and then tilted his head a little bit. He didn't quite get it how it was possible for them to be talking to Alec since he wasn't there. How did his dad get into computer? His eyes widened and he covered his mouth with his little hands. Was daddy currently living in a computer?!

"Papa, is daddy living in your computer?" asked the boy innocently and Magnus burst into laughter. Just when he thought that he couldn't get more adorable. Max's serious expression was what made Magnus laugh even louder and Alec raised his eyebrows and came a little closer to the computer screen. Since he didn't hear what Max said, he didn't quite get it why Magnus was dying from laughter all of the sudden.

"What did he say?" asked Alec.

"He asked me if you live inside of my computer," said Magnus after a few moments and then it was Alec's turn to burst into loud laughter. Max's words made Alec's heart warm up and he just couldn't help himself but to laugh at the boy’s little comment. But soon he realised that they probably shouldn't have laughed at Max, because Max's face got really red from embarrassment and he angrily looked away.

"Stop laughing at me!" said Max annoyed and pressed his lips together in anger. He angrily looked up at Magnus and Magnus had to restrain himself from laughing again. He just gently ruffled Max's hair and planted a kiss on top of his head. That made Max's anger disappear a little bit.

“Sorry,” said Magnus and gave the boy a small smile. “We won't laugh, we promise. Right, Alec?” asked Magnus and then looked at Alec, who immediately nodded in agreement.

“Yes, Magnus is right,” said Alec and then smiled. “We shouldn't have laughed and I am sorry too. Do you think you could forgive me?” asked Alec then and Max looked at him, nodding happily. “Good then,” added Alec and smiled when he saw how Max came really close to the camera.

“Look, Papa, my eyes are huge,” said the small boy when he came closer to the camera with his eyes, completely fascinated with what he saw in it. “Daddy, look... look!” he went on by saying, clapping with his small hands.

Alec didn't say anything and just watched Max in silence, his face almost hurting from smiling so much. After a while, Alec straightened himself up and started talking. “So, how are you guys doing?” he asked.

“Good,” said Max and Magnus nodded.

“How are you?” then asked Max with a small voice.

“Amazing, especially now that I'm talking with you two,” said Alec and looked at Magnus then, who was just sitting and watching Max and Alec chatting. “How is Magnus? Is he well behaved while I’m out of town?” asked Alec playfully then and noticed how a small smirk spread across Magnus' lips. He chuckled and then his eyes went back to the boy, who eagerly nodded.

“Yes, Papa is a good boy,” said Max happily. “But Papa is lonely without daddy,” said Max suddenly and Alec's eyes were immediately on him. “He misses you a lot,” added the boy and Alec then looked at Magnus, who was just happily smiling back.

"Eh, I manage," said Magnus and shrugged.

“I know,” said Alec and then sighed. “I miss Papa and you a lot too,” went on by saying the man and then watched how the boy's happy expressions turned into a sad one.

"I miss you too,” said Max quickly and pointed to himself. "You'll come back tomorrow, right daddy?"

"That's right, I'll come back home as soon as it'll be possible," said Alec softly and then smiled as he watched how Max's eyes lit up.

Then the three of them continued on chatting for quite a while, until it was the time for Max to get ready for bed. However, Magnus and Alec didn't stop chatting, Magnus calling his boyfriend over the video chat as soon as he was sure that Max was soundly asleep in the guest bedroom, which now belonged to the boy.

* * *

 

“Ah, shit... it's already this late?” said Alec and looked at the clock. His eyes then went back to monitor and found Magnus, who was watching him. Alec sighed and stood up a little bit, stretching his aching body. It was his fault really that he was in pain, sitting in front of his laptop for such a long time made his back ache. But neither of them minded too much, because they enjoyed each other's company. Plus since Max had already gone to sleep a few hours ago, neither of them had any better things to do, so why not chat with each other for a little longer?

Magnus looked at the clock as well and his eyes widened. “Oh wow it's really late yeah,” said Magnus and then smiled. Time just flies by when you are having a good time, doesn't it?

“Hey would you mind if I just go to take a quick shower? I promise to be back quick,” asked Alec when Magnus came back into his room.

“Of course I don't mind, Alec. You go do that,” said Magnus happily and then chuckled when Alec waved to him. “See you later I guess,” he then added and watched how Alec nodded and left his room.

As Alec was taking a shower, Magnus decided that he was hungry and should really get something to eat. He went into the kitchen, where he made himself dinner and then sat in front of the table, a small smile never leaving his face. That day was a great day, was what Magnus decided. Talking with Alec over the camera had put him into a much better mood. Not only that, but Max was in a better mood after that as well! Magnus’ smile grew as he continued to think about Alec returning the next day and he let out a small sigh. Spending time together like that was really the best.  He then continued on by thinking about their future, which seemed really bright at that moment. As Magnus continued thinking, he soon heard a voice from his bedroom calling his name and the man took that as a sign that Alec had already finished taking his shower. He really wasn't kidding when he said that he was going to hurry up, wasn't he? Because Magnus didn't want to keep Alec waiting, he quickly returned into his bedroom and his eyes widened when he saw Alec.

Alec was shirtless in front of the camera. Judging by the fact that his body was still wet, Magnus came to conclusion that Alec must've been wearing just a towel around his hips. With hunger in his eyes, Magnus watched how a water drop travelled from Alec's chest down to his stomach and he then swallowed thickly, feeling how his body started heating up. He then looked up at Alec's face and noticed a faint flush on his cheeks.

“Alec?” asked Magnus and cleared his throat. “As much as I enjoy what I see right now, I suggest that you get dressed, because just looking at you is doing wonders to my body,” he said quietly.

“Good, because that was kind of my plan,” said Alec quietly.

“What?”

“What? It’s been four days, Magnus… and I-I miss you. In _that_ way as well,” said Alec and licked his lower lip. “I mean it's fine if you don't want to, but when I was in the shower you were all that I could think of, so I'm already... you know,” said Alec. Alec’s words sent a rush of adrenaline throughout Magnus’ body and he quickly stood up, locked the door of this bedroom and then plugged his earphones into the computer, making Alec chuckled when he saw just how much in a hurry his boyfriend was in.

“Hmm, what are you?” asked Magnus playfully and earned a playful look from Alec. Since Alec didn't give him any verbal responses, he took that as a sign to keep on talking. “So when you were in the shower... what kinds of things were you thinking about me?” he asked.

“I was thinking that you were there next to me... touching and kissing me,” said Alec quietly and then swallowed hard. “Your tongue was on my neck and your hands were roaming all around my body,” he added and made a short pause. Alec's heart was racing and his body was feeling hot. He could feel the need of being touched was growing, but he decided to ignore it for the time being. He opened his eyes and when he saw the look on Magnus’ face he almost moaned.

“I wish I could be there with you,” said Magnus, feeling sweet anticipation burning in his stomach. Just thinking about how good Alec's lips would feel against his skin at that moment was enough to make him rock hard almost immediately. He placed his hands down his thighs and then parted his legs a little bit, running his fingers up and down his inner thighs. “I would make you feel so good, Alec,” added Magnus, his voice slightly uneven and that was what made Alec even more aroused.

Teasing his thighs, Alec finally slid his towel down and let out a loud gasp when he gently touched his hard, twitching member. His eyes then went back up and his heart started beating faster against his ribcage when he heard a sound of zipper being undone and then watched how Magnus slowly slid down his jeans. However, before he could see more, Magnus was already sitting down. Magnus closed his eyes and then cupped a hand at the front of his underwear, pressing down his palm to provide some friction. At that, Magnus gasped and rocked his hips upwards, creating more friction and when he opened his eyes, he became even harder when he saw Alec. Alec's head was thrown back, eyes tightly closed and his hand was moving in fast and sharp strokes under the desk.

“Alexander,” said Magnus and the younger one opened his eyes and looked at him. “I want you to look at me,” said Magnus, his voice thick with hunger and lust.

“Okay,” replied Alec, his voice trembling.

Magnus then stood up and Alec couldn't look away as Magnus slowly slid his underwear down as well. Alec gasped when he saw Magnus’ member and then he started stroking himself harder, his eyes never leaving the computer screen. Before Magnus sat back down, he gave his arousal a few strokes, making more lewd sounds spill out of Alec's mouth. Magnus smirked when he saw Alec's face. The younger one's hair was stuck to his forehead from sweat and his face was flushed into deep shades of red. At the sight of Alec, Magnus couldn't hold back anymore and he wrapped fingers around his own member, stroking it hard.

“Oh god... Magnus,” moaned Alec and started moving his hips as well, thrusting hard into his own palm. The way that Alec said his name made Magnus let out a loud moan and Alec threw his head back yet again and he could feel how his mind was getting foggy. The pleasure was building up and he knew that he couldn't hold out much longer.

Magnus tried his best to keep his eyes opened and to watch Alec. The whole thing was so arousing to the older one and he knew that he was soon going to reach his climax. Alec's hand moved even faster and he kept chanting Magnus’ name, too lost into his pleasure to form any coherent sentences. It wasn't too long until everything became too much for Alec. He let out a loud moan as he came and that was when Magnus closed his eyes, reaching his own orgasm as well.

After a minute or so, after they both collected themselves a bit, Magnus chuckled and Alec's soft laughter filled his ear drums. Magnus slowly opened his eyes and looked at Alec, who was looking back at him with a huge smile. He then watched how Alec took some wipes from drawer and cleaned himself. Magnus looked down and realised that he needed a shower as well.

“I love you,” said Magnus suddenly and Alec looked at him.

“I know,” he said with a chuckle. “I love you too, so much.”

Magnus, who suddenly felt really tired, yawned and then sighed. “I think that I'm gonna take that shower now as well,” said Magnus. “Will you wait for me?”

“Of course. Just be quick,” said Alec and Magnus quickly nodded.

“I promise, I'll be right back.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I'll be honest, I had no idea what to write for this chapter, so this was the only thing I was able to come up with. Not the most exciting chapter, but whatever. I have a feeling that I should end this one soon, because I don't want it to drag out too much and I don't wanna leave it unfinished like I've done with many of my other works).
> 
> Thanks for the support so far :) I really appreciate it ^^
> 
> And as always, comments & opinions are well appreciated ^^


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus and Alec taking their first step towards moving in together

It was a lazy Saturday morning and both Magnus and Alec were in the younger's living room, both sitting on the sofa and were looking at the laptop. Max, on the other hand, was playing with his toys and kept looking at the other men every now and then, frowning because they seemed to be much more interested into whatever they were looking on the computer to even pay attention to him. Because that was something that rarely happened, the boy knew that Magnus and Alec probably had a good reason, so he decided not to bother them and allow them to investigate whatever they were trying to find out.

Magnus and Alec were currently on a real estate website, just looking at some apartments, which were close to the place that Alec lived at the moment. At first, they didn’t mean to look so seriously for the apartment; it was just a mere curiosity really, just to see what was out on the market at the moment. However, the two of them just found an apartment that seemed to be perfect for the three of them and Chairman Meow, of course. The apartment itself was pretty close to where Alec worked at and wasn’t that far away from Magnus’ preschool, so the location of the apartment was more than ideal. As they continued to observe the pictures of the apartment itself, it looked really nice. It was a bit expensive, but then again it was quite big, so you were getting a great deal for that price.

Alec narrowed his eyes as he kept skipping through the pictures; the apartment had three bedrooms, a huge living room and a spacious kitchen. He didn’t want to think of it too much, because he didn’t know what Magnus was thinking, but the younger one could really see all the three of them living in that apartment. Alec glanced at Magnus, who appeared to be thinking about something and Alec went back to his laptop, pressing his lips together. They were together for what, 6 months? So, was moving in together still too early? Yes? No? Frankly, Alec didn’t know how things were supposed to go, because that was his first relationship that lasted that long that he actually considered living with the person.

Magnus was thinking the same, he found the apartment to be really beautiful and he wouldn’t mind living in it; especially if he’d live there with Max and Alec. He let out a hum and crossed his arms on top of his chest and the frown between his eyebrows deepened as he looked up at Alec, who was curiously looking at him and the frown disappeared when Alec wrapped an arm around his shoulders a gave him a small smile. “So, what do you think?” asked Magnus slowly. “You know, about the apartment,” he then went on by saying and Alec slowly nodded.

“To be honest?” asked Alec and made a short pause. “I think it’s great, I’d love to live there,” muttered Alec and pressed his lips together and a wide smile spread across his face. “With you and Max that is,” he then blurted out and earned a wide grin from his boyfriend. “Your opinion?”

“I think the same,” said Magnus. “Though, I do know that you tend to take things a bit slower than I do when it comes to relationships, so we don’t have to rush into anything,” went on by saying the older one quickly and made a short pause. “But I still think that it would be good at least to check it out. We don’t necessarily need to move in together quite yet, because that’s a pretty big step, you know?” went on by saying the older male and Alec nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, I think so to. I’d be good if we went to see the apartment in person,” muttered Alec and closed his eyes for a brief second; what Magnus said was right. They didn’t have to rush with anything, they had all the time in the world that they needed. But something as moving in wouldn’t feel like rushing things to Alec; they were spending most of their time together anyway. It was pretty rare that they didn’t spend the day either at Alec’s place or at Magnus’, all three of them of course. “I don’t think we’d be exactly rushing with things,” he then went on by saying and earned a bright grin and a kiss from his boyfriend.

Max perked up when he heard Papa talking about moving in together and he slowly came closer to the two men. His eyes lit up when he saw that daddy and Papa were looking at an apartment and a huge smile spread across Max’s face. Moving in together with Papa, daddy and Chairman Meow was on top of the boy’s wish list, so he couldn’t really hide his excitement when he overheard Magnus and Alec talking about it. Not to mention, they were already looking at a new place for them to live in, so Max really thought that the decision had already been made. Max gently tugged at Magnus’ sleeve and the older male turned around, smiling when he saw the boy standing there and he cocked his head to the side when he saw how happy the boy looked.

“What’s up, Max?” asked Magnus happily and grinned when Max climbed up onto the sofa as well, sitting in Magnus’ lap and the boy then looked at Alec, who sent him a confused look when the boy pointed to the computer screen.

“Is this where we are going to live in, daddy?” asked Max innocently and Alec chuckled when he saw excitement in the boy’s eyes. It was no secret that Max wanted for all three of them live together, he had been saying that from the day that he found out about his and Magnus’ relationship. Because of that, Alec knew that he had nothing to worry about if the day of them moving in together came up. “When will we move in together, daddy?” was Max’s another question and he then glanced at Magnus, because Alec wasn’t giving him any answers. “You will live with us, right, Papa?” he tried again and Magnus nodded.

“That’s correct,” said Magnus and looked at Alec, who smiled and nodded. “Alec and I were just looking into some apartments,” went on by saying the older man and looked at the younger one, who just nodded.

“We found one that looks really nice,” said Alec and pressed his lips together. “We haven’t decided on anything yet, because we first need to see the apartment, to see how it looks like in real life. You’ll go with us as well, right, Max? To help up make the decision,” added Alec and Max quickly nodded, clapping his hands together, happy to hear that he’d have a say in it as well.

“Yes,” was Max’s reply and he then happily giggled. “When are we going to see the apartment?” was Max’s next question. If it was all up to him, they would already be living in it. To the boy, it didn’t really make sense why adults took so much time to get some things done. The excitement in his voice made both Magnus and Alec chuckle and Magnus shrugged.

“As soon as possible,” said Alec and saw that Max’s bright smile faltered a little bit.

“Oh, don’t be sad, Max,” said Magnus and gave the boy a smile. “I know that you want us to live together, but things like these take quite some time. I know, it sucks, but what can we do? On the other hand, it’s already like we’re living together, right?” asked Magnus and Max slowly nodded, but didn’t completely agree with Papa.

“Yeah, just be patient a bit and everything’ll work out. You’ll see,” said Alec and Max slowly nodded, the bright smile returning on his lips as Alec wrote down the number of the real estate agency and then closed then turned off the laptop. “Now then,” he went on by saying. “I know that it’s not the best weather outside, but we should still go do something fun.”

“Agreed,” said the older male and looked at Max. “Any suggestions, young man?”

Max was excited to be the one to choose place that they’d go to and after some thinking, he came to the conclusion that he wanted to go to the cinema. Both, Magnus and Alec went there regularly when they were on a date, but they weren’t there together all that much. “Can we go to the cinema, daddy?” asked Max and Alec nodded.

“Sounds good,” said Alec.

“Cinema it is then,” added Magnus and grinned.

* * *

 

**A week later**

“You’re thinking about moving in together with Magnus?” asked Maryse, surprised when Alec told her that he, Max and Magnus were going to check out that apartment that they were looking over the internet, later that day. No decisions were made yet, because they had only found the apartment, but both of them wished to live together, so Alec didn’t have any reasons that would hold them back from moving in together. They were practically living together, anyway. Plus, Max was excited about the move, so Alec didn’t get it why his mother seemed so surprised about the news that he had just told her.

“Yeah, why not?” asked Alec as he was cleaning after Max’s toys. Max, Isabelle and Magnus were currently at the mall and because Alec didn’t feel like going, he decided that he’d leave the trio to have fun on their own. He didn’t like going to the mall that much, so he didn’t want to bring anyone’s mood down by being there. “We’ve been together for six months, so I don’t really see a problem with that?” said Alec and frowned when he saw the worried expression on his mother’s face and he rolled his eyes. “You think that I’m making a mistake?”

“No, not a mistake,” said Maryse quickly and shook her head, not wanting to make Alec think that. “I’m just a bit worried, honey,” said the woman and Alec made a face when he was called that. That made Alec’s mother smile and she made a short pause before continuing. “I just… don’t want you to rush into something, you know? Then again, I might be just overthinking things. I tend to do that a lot,” she added and pressed her lips together.

Alec nodded, because he knew what she meant. Overthinking things was the trait that he got from her, but then again, he had done a lot of thinking on this subject. Also, he didn’t want to be thinking overthinking every single thing so much. Magnus had taught him that it was a good thing to be spontaneous every now and then. “I know what you mean, mom,” he said and nodded. “But don’t worry, I’ve done a lot of thinking about it and it really feels like it’s the right time,” said Alec and smiled when he saw that Maryse also smiled again. “We’ve discussed all of this with Magnus and he feels the same.”

“What about Max? Does he know?”

“Of course,” said Alec and nodded. “We’ve told him about it immediately,” he said. “But we had no problems with him. You know, he had been wanting us to live together ever since we’ve told him about our relationship,” went on by saying the young man and the woman chuckled, because he knew how the boy got when he’d get a bit too excited about something. “Not only that, but I think that he had already planned our wedding as well. He got us rings already, as you can see,” said Alec and showed to the ring on his necklace, making Maryse laugh out loud.

“Then, everything’s settled then, I see,” said Maryse and Alec nodded slowly, letting out a happy sigh.

“I know that we don’t talk a lot about personal stuff in our family,” suddenly started Alec and Maryse look up at him, knowing that her son had a point. However, she had learned to open up a little bit and every now and then, she’d talk about something personal like that. Years ago, she would rather keep feelings and emotions to herself. “And I just wanted to thank you,” muttered Alec and shrugged, not really knowing why he was thanking his mother all of the sudden. “I mean, for being so supportive, I’d never imagined that you’d accept Magnus so quickly and-”

“Oh, don’t thank me. I and Robert have done enough harm to you, so we’re the one who should be thanking to you for not completely shutting us off from your life,” muttered Maryse, embarrassed and angry with herself as she remembered how she reacted when Alec came out to her. He was so young and so scared, but instead of making sure that her own son felt comfortable in his own skin, Maryse was too concerned about her own image to even care about Alec. They’ve never had a proper talk about it, until just then, so she still hadn’t forgiven herself. “We were so selfish and-”

“It’s okay mom. What’s in the past, is in the past. There’s nothing that would change that. Besides, it’s okay, it’s been years since then,” muttered Alec and looked down.

“No, it’s not okay, Alec, not at all,” said Maryse under her breath and pressed her lips firmly together. “As parents, we were supposed to be there for you, and we weren’t, which isn’t okay at all,” said the woman and walked closer to Alec. “We could’ve… I could’ve handled it better. Instead, I just ended up pushing you away,” said Maryse and shrugged. “And I am really sorry about that. Just because I didn’t understand it, I-”

“Mom, it’s okay, really,” said Alec and shrugged as well. The smile on his face remained and he sighed. “I’ve forgiven you already. Besides, something like that was expected to happen. I mean, I understand that you needed time to accept it, which you did. So, don’t dwell about the past,” said Alec and Maryse pressed her lips together as she proudly looked at her oldest son.

Maryse slowly nodded, knowing that Alec was probably right. However, she still couldn’t really at least forgive herself, even though seemed to forgive her a long time ago. But, she still forced a smile and walked closer to Alec, who was now sitting on the sofa and he arched an eyebrow when he saw his mom coming closer. “So, how does this apartment look like?” she asked, changing the topic of their conversation a little bit and Alec gave his mother a surprised look. Not only that she apologised, but she was also interested in seeing the apartment herself? She had really changed, hadn’t she?

“It’s great,” muttered Alec and then turned on his laptop, to show her the pictures of the apartment on the website. He quite quickly found the website and then turned the laptop to the woman, who was now sitting down as well, so that she could have a proper look at the pictures. “It looks like this. As I’ve said before, we’re just going to go look at it today and from then on, we’ll see what happens.”

Maryse nodded and looked at Alec. “It looks great, it really does. And if you think it’s the right time to move in together, you have my full support,” she then added and Alec chuckled.

The two of them continued to chat a little bit longer, before the door opened and Alec smiled, because he knew that the trio had returned back home. Just as expected, Isabelle and Magnus were carrying a lot of bags, which meant that they went shopping and the young man just rolled his eyes, but the smile remained on his face when he saw Max running up to him, to show him the new toy that Papa had bought him. Not really surprising, it was another Minion plush toy and Alec shook his head, because he didn’t really know what Max was going to do with his collection of Minion stuff, but he didn’t make a comment about it.

Maryse stood up and politely smiled at Magnus when she saw him, taking a few bags from his hands and helped him carry them into the living room. “Thank you, Maryse,” said Magnus and let out a tired sigh. Most of the stuff that he was carrying was Isabelle’s anyway and even though he didn’t want to admit it, it was kind of scary going shopping with Alec’s sister on his own. Max didn’t really mind it that much, but Magnus was exhausted, not really having the stamina or the patience to go shopping with Isabelle alone again.

“You’re welcome, Magnus,” said Alec’s mother and smiled as she placed the bags onto the sofa.

Magnus threw himself onto the sofa as well and leaned his head back, letting out a loud and tired groan. “God, I’m tired,” he said to himself, but loud enough for Maryse to hear him and the woman nodded, because she knew how Isabelle could get once in her moment.

“Trust me, I know,” whispered Maryse and Magnus quietly laughed, looking at Alec, who was currently talking to Isabelle about something, while Max was going through his own stuff that he had received that day. His eyes widened just a little bit when he saw that Alec appeared to be looking at the apartment again and he then gazed up at the woman.

“So, he finally told you?” asked Magnus and Maryse nodded.

“Yeah,” said the woman and sat down as well. “It looks like a nice place to live in,” she then commented and placed her hands together on top of her legs and sighed happily. “I hope it works everything well for the three of you.”

“Thank you, Maryse,” said Magnus, his voice soft and warm. Things might’ve been a bit awkward at first between the two of them, but not anymore and Magnus couldn’t be happier about that. Just as Magnus was about to say something, Max interrupted him by running up to him, tugging at his sleeve and Magnus could only smile as he looked at the boy. “Yes, Max? What is it?” he asked softy and the boy pointed at the clock on the wall.

“Papa, we need to go,” said the boy, because he didn’t want to miss the opportunity to go see the apartment. He had been waiting for so long and he couldn’t contain himself any longer. “We should soon go, right daddy?” he asked then when Alec stepped closer.

“Max, it’s still a bit too early,” said Alec and Max pouted.

“But what if we’re too late?” commented Max.

“I guess we could leave now,” said Magnus and shrugged. “And stop by the candy store for a little bit. They opened a new one, just down the street, so we-”

“Candy store?” asked Max and giggled, quickly nodding. Papa was right, they needed to leave and go see the new candy store as well. “Can we go, daddy? Please? Pretty please?” asked the boy and looked at Alec, who couldn’t really say no, so he just shrugged and nodded with a smile.

“Sure, why not?” he said and Magnus sent him a soft smile.

After a while, after Maryse and Isabelle said their goodbyes, the three of them also left Alec’s place. As promised, they first visited the candy store and then made their way towards the new apartment. Real estate agent was already waiting for them there, so they were able to take a look of the apartment a bit sooner. It was clear that Max loved the apartment, because he was already starting to plan where his bedroom would be and where he’d put his toys.

As they were done with the apartment tour, they told the real estate agent that they needed a bit of time to discuss and that they would get back to her about their decision. However, not a lot of thinking and talking had to be done, because all three of them agreed that the apartment was made for them.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I've received quite a lot of fun and good ideas about what should I include in the upcoming chapters, so thank you very much :) )
> 
> Thanks for the support so far :) I really appreciate it ^^
> 
> And as always, comments & opinions are well appreciated ^^


	20. Chapter 20

"Ah, I think this is all of the stuff," said Magnus, carrying his last box into their new apartment and let out a loud sigh as he placed the box onto the floor. He then straightened himself up and crossed his arms on top of his chest, feeling completely exhausted. It was about a month later, since they went to see that apartment and about a week later, they contacted their real estate agent that they were going to take the apartment after all. After that, they needed to get some stuff fixed at their new place and since then, they were slowly starting to fill the apartment with their furniture and other stuff, trying to make the place theirs. It was Magnus who did most of the decorating around the place and neither of them minded; Alec wouldn’t know how to do it on his own and Magnus loved decorating around the apartment.

Most of their things were still in boxes, apart from the furniture, but they both knew that it wouldn't take them that long to unpack everything. Max had already unpacked most of his stuff and was currently staying in his new bedroom, organising the toys to his liking. The boy was beyond happy to be finally able to say that Magnus was living with them. Chairman Meow was staying at the new apartment as well, of course, and was currently just curiously walking around, trying to see in what kind of territory Magnus had brought him. As far as Magnus could tell, his poor kitten wasn't too happy about the move, so he promised himself that he'd buy him loads of new toys to make it up to him.

The man's eyes found Alec, who was sitting on their new sofa, his head leaned back and he could tell that the younger one was exhausted as well. Heck, Magnus was beyond tired as well, but it wasn't a bad feeling at all. Magnus liked that kind of exhaustion and he slowly made his way to Alec, who lifted his head when he felt Magnus sitting down next to him and Magnus chuckled when he saw that Alec was forcing his eyes to stay open. He bit into his lower lip and grinned; he knew that Alec didn't get much sleep the past week. He scooted closer to his boyfriend and kissed his cheek, before he placed his head on top of Alec's shoulder and let out a happy sigh as he looked up at Alec's face, those beautiful eyes looking straight down to him, making Magnus' heart flutter with happiness.

"Tired, angel?" asked Magnus softly and Alec nodded, yawning at the process, making the older male grin and the cute sight of his boyfriend. Magnus reached up with his hand and gently hugged Alec's chin, pulling his face down slightly, pressing their lips into a long and soft kiss. Alec smiled into the kissed and softly hummed when Magnus straightened himself up, kissing him again as he pressed him gently against the sofa. Alec's tired smile widened as Magnus awkwardly straddled his legs and kissed him one last time, ending the kiss by kissing the tip of his nose and then pressed their foreheads together, making Alec laugh as Magnus' soft hair tickled against his face.

"But I'm happy," whispered Alec then and received one of Magnus' brightest and warmest smiles ever. The whole moving in went by pretty smoothly and even thought they still needed to unpack their things, he didn't care. That was going to be their first night at the new apartment and he couldn't really his excitement about that. "We've finally did it, huh?" went on by saying, who was now just talking to himself and even though Magnus knew that, he nodded.

"Yeah," whispered Magnus against Alec's lips and closed his eyes when Alec's big and warm palms hugged his face, nuzzling into the touch. Alec smiled and then gently ran his fingers through Magnus' hair. "Max is really happy, isn't he?" said Magnus when he heard the boy giggling from him bedroom and Alec nodded, happy to see that his son was so happy about the whole thing. Magnus opened his eyes when he heard Chairman's loud meowing and he pouted. "I wish that Chairman Meow could be a bit more supportive about the whole thing."

"Give him some time, he'll come around," muttered Alec and brought his arms down, wrapping them around Magnus' waist. "Speaking of Max," said Alec and Magnus looked down to him, arching an eyebrow. "It's his birthday the next week," went on by saying the younger one and Magnus nodded, because he could remember that Max's birthday was coming up.

"We should prepare something special for him," said Magnus, his imagination already running wild with possibilities about the party for the boy, but Alec didn't quite agree with that. As they both knew, Max hated being in the centre of attention, so a big party wouldn't be exactly a good idea.

"Something special, yes, but nothing big," stated Alec and saw that Magnus frowned, looking quite disappointed. It was true that Magnus knew all of that, but preparing parties was his speciality and he really wanted to give Max the best birthday ever. He wanted to say something back as a protest, but decided not to. Instead, he just slowly nodded and shrugged.

"Speaking of parties and celebrations," started Magnus and almost laughed when he saw the expression on Alec's face. "We should have a moving in party, what do you think? We could invite all of your family members and I could invite my friends. You have already met Cat and Ragnor, so it shouldn't be a big problem, right?" asked Magnus again.

Hosting a moving in party seemed like too much of a hassle to the younger one and he barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes at Magnus' preposition. However, when he looked at Magnus' puppy-eyed look, he let out a groan, because he knew that he was no much for that and Magnus knew that as well. "Fine, we'll host a moving in party," said Alec and Magnus let out an excited chuckle. "However, don't overboard with the party, okay? I'll try to help you out the best way that I'll be able to, but you know me and how I am with parties."

"Thank you, Alexander," said Magnus softly and he softly kissed his boyfriend's lips. "You're the best boyfriend, ever," he then went on by saying, his little compliment making Alec blush up to his ears and the older man could only smile as he continued to watch his adorable lover. "But I promise, it won't be anything crazy," he then quickly stated and Alec gave him a grateful look.

Alec pushed Magnus closer to himself and Magnus did nothing when the other one kissed him again, Alec's eyes slowly closing as they shared a few more kisses. The moment was interrupted when Max stepped into the living room, visibly upset with something. The boy wasn't crying, but Alec noticed that Max's lower lip was dangerously trembling and Magnus' eyes widened when he saw tears gathering in the boy's eyes, his little hands nervously fidgeting. Magnus quickly climbed off of Alec and stepped closer to the boy, scooping up into his arms and he then carried him to Alec, sitting down onto the sofa next to his lover.

"Max, what happened?" asked Alec, concerned.

"I lost Bob," whispered Max and his voice trembled as he was fighting back the tears. He wanted to be a big boy, so he didn't want to cry in front of daddy and Papa. However, he had lost his favourite toy and he felt horrible. "I-I can't find him."

"The Minion?" muttered Alec and Magnus nodded, placing his hand on top of Max's hair.

"Did you look into the boxes where we packed your toys?" asked Alec and Max nodded.

"I did daddy, but he wasn't there," said Max and finally stopped holding back the tears, allowing the tears to fall and he hid his face into his little palms as he cried silently in Magnus' arms. "I-I lost him. What if I never see him again?" asked Max in between his sniffles and Magnus' eyes found Alec, who was trying to remember where they put the Minion plush toy as they were putting away their things.

"Don't worry, young man, we'll find him," said Magnus quickly and pressed a kiss on top of Max's head.

"Yeah," said Alec and gently rubbed Max's back, the little boy extending his arms out and Alec allowed Max to climb up into his lap.

"He-he'll be angry with me," muttered Max and Alec bit into his lower lip.

"Who?" asked Alec.

"Bob!"

"He won't be, Max," said Magnus gently and Max looked into his direction.

"Really, Papa?" asked the boy with a small voice.

"Really, really," said Magnus and chuckled. "Bob isn't the one to hold a grudge towards someone. I'd be worried if we were talking about Stuart, but Bob will forgive you, you'll see," said Magnus and chuckled when he saw that his comment made Max giggle a tiny bit.

Alec wasn't really paying attention to Magnus' and Max's conversation, because he was still busy with remembering where he put the Minion plush. He remembered putting it into another box and a smile spread across his face when he finally remembered that he put Max's toy among the boy's clothes and not the rest of his toys. He gently placed Max into Magnus' lap and hurried to the box with Max's clothes in it. He opened it and grinned when he saw the toy, quickly taking it out and he carried it to Max, whose smile brightened when he saw Bob.

"Here he is," said Alec happily and Max quickly hugged his favourite toy.

"Thank you daddy," exclaimed the boy and kissed the toy, hugging it tightly. "I'm sorry I lost you," he then added and looked at Bob, Alec letting out a sigh of relief as he sat down back to Magnus, leaning his body against him. He was happy that they were able to fix the situation so quickly and so was Magnus.

* * *

 

A few days later, as Magnus was home alone with Max, since Alec got suck at the office, the man was cleaning their new apartment. They had finally unpacked everything, so the apartment wasn't filled with those horrifying boxes anymore. While the boy was happily jumping around and playing with Chairman Meow, Magnus decided to clean Alec's desk a little bit, because there were papers lying everywhere. It surprised the older male how could the younger one get anything done in such an untidy place. Knowing how exhausted Alec was going to come back from his work, Magnus decided to be a good boyfriend and clean around the house a little bit; he had nothing better to do anyway.

However, as he was cleaning Alec's desk, he found something that left him speechless. He knew that he shouldn't be going through Alec's things, but as he was cleaning, some of the papers fell onto the floor and as the man picked them up, his eyes widened when he saw that they were adoption papers. He frowned and decided to stop cleaning just for a little bit, because he didn't remember Alec mentioning anything about adopting another child. But as he got a closer look at the papers, he could see that Max's name was written on it. As his legal guardians, they were put Alec, of course, and Magnus let out a loud gasp when he saw his own name written on the paper. Because, they were still a lot of places needed to be filled, by both of the legal guardians, the papers weren't legally confirmed yet, but just seeing that made Magnus feel speechless.

Flustered, Magnus put all of the papers back where they were and quickly ended up with the cleaning, walking into the living room and he had to sit down, so that his mind could process everything. He looked up and glanced at Max, who was currently chasing his kitten around the apartment, but Chairman Meow didn't look too displeased about that. So, Alec was thinking about him legally adopting Max as well? To be honest, that was something that Magnus thought about a few times as well, but seeing those papers made everything so real. Would he adopt Max? Of course, he didn't even need to think twice about that. He had a feeling that Max would love that as well, but why was Alec keeping those papers hidden form him? He was probably still unsure, maybe he thought it was still too early. Either way, Magnus was happy; too happy.

"Papa, do you want to play with me?" asked Max suddenly, because he could tell that Magnus' mood had changed. He didn't know why, but Magnus looked serious all of the sudden and that made Max think that Papa wasn't in a good mood after all. Wanting to make him feel better, playing with the man seemed as the most reasonable solution to the little boy.

"Sure, that sounds like fun," replied Magnus and managed to forget about the matter as he was playing with the boy. However, when it came the time to get Max to bed, his thoughts returned to those papers that he had found when he found himself to be completely alone in the room, Max asleep and Alec still appeared to be stuck at the office. Magnus slowly walked back to Alec's desk and took the adoption papers back into his hands, skimming through them as if he was trying to check if he had read it right; his name was on that paper after all and he let out a hitched breath, and he held the papers tightly to himself as he slowly walked back into the living room, sitting down onto the sofa as his mind was completely focused on Max and Alec.

As he was sitting down, he kept reading the adoption papers over and over again, the smile on his face spreading when the realisation finally sank in; Alexander wished that he'd become Max's legal parent as well. He knew that things like that took time, but he didn't care. Just to see that Alec had already taken the first step towards that made his heart and chest swell with happiness, the feeling almost unbearable for the man. With all the bad luck in his life so far, he had never thought that he'd be able to have a chance of having a proper family. And then it happened, when he least expected it to happen.

It was scary just how much he loved both Alec and Max; honestly, it made his scared sometimes. Scared, that he'd wake up and realise that it wasn't real. And he didn't want that, he didn't want that kind of happiness to end. His and Alec's relationship had a bright future; they moved in together and now the younger one was already thinking about the adoption of Max. Magnus gritted his teeth and he placed the papers back down as his vision became blurry and he allowed the tears to wet his face, letting out a small sob as he pressed a hand towards his mouth. The feeling of happiness was just too overwhelming that he couldn't keep his emotions under control anymore. He barely restrained himself earlier when he was with Max. And now that he was completely alone, he couldn't help but to burst into tears. They were tears of happiness, of course.

Magnus didn't notice how the front door suddenly opened, Alec stepping into the apartment. Alec was exhausted, partially dead to be exact. He felt bad for coming back so late into the day; he honestly had no idea that his stupid boss would keep him at work for such a long time. However, it was what it was and he knew that he shouldn't be complaining too much. He wasn't too surprised that the apartment was dark once he stepped inside. It wasn't all that late, but still late enough for Magnus to go to bed. However, his mood brightened when he saw that the light in the living room was still switched on and he smiled when he saw Magnus sitting on the sofa. However, his smile disappeared as soon as he heard Magnus' soft sobbing, quickly taking off his jacket, not even bothering to hang it as he threw it onto the floor, hurrying up to his boyfriend to see what was wrong. Thinking that something happened while he was gone, worry and horror filled his heart when he saw Magnus having his face buried into his palms, his body slightly shaking as he was still crying, completely oblivious to the fact that Alec had already returned back home.

"Magnus?" asked Alec, his voice soft and filled with worry. When he placed a hand on top of Magnus' shoulder, the older one flinched, because he didn't expect Alec to be home already and Alec's heart filled to the pit of his stomach when Magnus looked up at home, his beautiful, dark eyes filled with tears. "What happened?" he asked and his eyes widened when new tears started rolling down Magnus' face. So whatever the reason might be behind Magnus' tears, it had to be connected with him, was what Alec deduced. "What did I do?" he then blurted out as he gently held Magnus' shoulder.

When Magnus saw Alec there, he couldn't help himself really and he let the new tears fall. The younger's reaction made Magnus chuckle and he could see a frown forming between Alec's eyebrows as he laughed through his tears. God, he loved him. So much. "I love you, Alexander," said Magnus and wiped some of the tears away, leaning forward to kiss his boyfriend. "So much, you don't even-"

"You're acting weird," said Alec, still concerned, because that was just too out of Magnus' character. "What happened? Tell me, you're making me worried."

"Nothing happened, angel. I'm just... happy," muttered Magnus and Alec arched an eyebrow, not really knowing where Magnus was going with that. "Today, I was cleaning around the apartment. I decided to clean your desk a bit too, because it was a mess, darling," said Magnus and made a short pause, looking up at Alec, who was just patiently sitting and listening to him. He let out a small sigh and wiped the rest of the tears away, before he continued. "As I was cleaning, I found these," he said and handed the adoption papers to Alec, whose eyes grew huge when he saw what Magnus gave to him. "I know I shouldn't be snooping around, but I wasn't, I swear. They fell onto the floor as I was cleaning and I just happened to read it and-" said Magnus, but then his voice trailed off and he had to bite down onto his lower lip.

Alec's heart skipped a beat when he saw what Magnus found and his hands started shaking just a little bit. It was true, he was just talking with his attorney about the adoption. She had given him the adoption papers, that both him and Magnus needed to sign. There was loads more of paper work to be done, but it was the beginning and Alec had been wanting to let that Magnus know, yet he didn't find the right time to do it.

"I-"

"Why didn't you tell me, you stupid man?" asked Magnus and let out a small chuckle. "I almost had a heart attack when I found this," he then went on by saying and pressed his lips together. "You have to warn me, Alexander," he then added and Alec took in a deep breath.

"I-I wanted to tell you," muttered Alec and sighed. "But we were just so busy with the move and everything, that I just didn't find the right time to do it. I'm sorry," he whispered and bowed his head down. He didn't want Magnus to find out like this; he wanted to the news to be delivered in a bit more special way. "I just-"

"Don't apologise, Alec," whispered Magnus. "I understand," he then added and then took Alec's hand into his own, linking their fingers together. "It left me speechless, but happy as well," he said. "Honestly, I'm so happy that I could die."

"Don't die, Magnus," whispered Alec with a chuckle and leaned in to give Magnus a soft kiss. "So, you're not upset with me? T-that I went behind your back and-"

"No," said Magnus. "I'm happy. To be Max's legal parent someday...you don't know how much that means to me. Thank you, Alexander."

"Come here," whispered Alec and Magnus smiled when Alec captured his lips into a long and sweet kiss, allowing himself to be pulled onto his legs and dragged into the bedroom, a loud laugh escaping Magnus' lips as Alec gently pushed him back towards the bed and Alec grinned when he climbed on top of his boyfriend, claiming his lips once again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the support so far :) I really appreciate it ^^
> 
> And as always, comments & opinions are well appreciated ^^


	21. Chapter 21

''Daddy, can I invite Wendy to my birthday party as well?'' asked Max, whose birthday party was going to happen on the next day. The boy knew that most of the people there were going to be his family members and he didn’t mind that at all. He didn’t have many friends at the preschool, but he would’ve really wanted to invite the ones that he had as well. Wendy, of course, was on Max’s top list of people he wanted to see at his party and even though he saw that Magnus was grinning when he mentioned his friend’s name, Max looked at Alec, who nodded and shrugged.

“Of course you can, Max,” said Alec and chuckled when Magnus came closer as well and wrapped his arms around Alec’s waist, stepping behind him and Max giggled when Papa rested his chin on top of daddy’s shoulder. “It’s your party after all, so you can invite anyone really,” said Alec in the end and allowed his body to rest against Magnus’ strong body frame, those arms wrapping tighter around his waist and both men smiled when Max let out an excited giggle and he then clapped his little palms together.

“Great, I’ll tell her tomorrow in school!” announced Max and looked at Papa, who gave him a smile and a little nod. “I’ll tell Chairman Meow that Wendy’s coming tomorrow,” he then went on by saying and happily skipped over to Magnus’ cat, who was peacefully sleeping in his new nest, letting out an unamused meow when Max disturbed his peaceful slumber.

Alec around in Magnus’ arms and then made a step back, letting out a small yawn. The next day was going to be Max’s sixth birthday and everything was already ready for the party that was going to happen on the next day. Alec allowed Magnus to do most of the planning, but he did help here and there, just to make himself included into the whole celebration as well. Because that was going to be Max’s first birthday with Magnus, the older man made sure that everything was going to be perfect. The theme of the party were Minions, of course. Alec wasn’t too amused by the idea, but he couldn’t argue, because he knew that Max was going to be beyond happy.

They decided to keep the theme of the party a secret from Max, because they wanted it to be a surprise for him. Magnus ordered a Minion cake and went all out with decoration and other stuff. Alec could only smile as he was listening to Magnus’ plans for tomorrow; he could see that Magnus’ eyes were literally shining with happiness and excitement about the party. Also, another thing that they planned for Max’s birthday was to let the boy know that Magnus was going to legally adopt him one day, which was hopefully going to happen soon. Both, Magnus and Alec, knew that the boy was probably going to like that surprise more than the other gifts and presents.

“He’ll love the party, Magnus,” said Alec suddenly and Magnus nodded, because he knew that Alec was right. “You did such a good job with planning and everything,” he then went on by saying and earned a small grin from his boyfriend, who nodded again and took his hand, dragging him towards the couch. Alec laughed softly as Magnus pulled him down as well as he sat down.

“Of course, angel. I’m a pro at throwing parties after all,” said Magnus and Alec rolled his eyes. “So, when do you think it’s gonna be the right time to host the moving in party?” asked Magnus and Alec shrugged his shoulders.

Another party? So soon? Alec held himself back from making a face in front of his boyfriend and he pressed his lips together. “I don’t know, you decide,” muttered Alec and frowned when he earned an annoyed look from the older male.

“Come on, the party’s supposed to be important to both of us,” said Magnus and crossed his arms on top of his chest. He knew that Alec didn’t like parties and crowd, but he should still look at least a bit more interested about the whole thing. “We’ve been living here only for about a week, so I don’t think that we’re in a hurry,” went on by saying Magnus and Alec groaned, because he knew that Magnus wasn’t going to stop sulking until he’d answer his question.

“So, next week?” asked Alec, hoping that Magnus was going to be satisfied with the reply and weight lifted off of Alec’s chest when smile returned to Magnus’ lips.

“Next week it is, darling,” said Magnus and gently kissed Alec.

* * *

 

When it came the morning of Max’s birthday, Magnus and Alec made sure that they woke up before the boy, because they wanted to surprise him the first thing in the morning. Alec made sure that he cooked Max his favourite meal for breakfast, while Magnus was busy with putting the gifts that he and Alec had prepared for the boy, onto the floor; one by one, starting at the door of Max’s door, leading the way into the kitchen. Alec smiled as he was watching his boyfriend wanting to make the day the most special for the boy as he could and he bit into his lower lip as he was still standing in front of the counter, making the boy his beloved pancakes.

When Magnus was done, he walked back into the kitchen and let out a happy sigh as his eyes travelled to Alec, who was still busy with preparing the breakfast. He walked to the nearest chair and sat down, supporting his head on his elbow as he leaned against the table and looked up at the clock. He kind of wished that Max would wake up soon, but that probably wasn’t going to happen. The boy was so excited about his own birthday and the party, that he had many difficulties with falling asleep the previous night and by the time that he fell asleep was way past his usual bedtime.

“Magnus, he’s gonna wake up soon,” muttered Alec and chuckled that Magnus’ eyes were constantly on the clock. The older one turned around, to face his boyfriend, and he slowly nodded, but his eyes then travelled to the door of Max’s bedroom. That caused Alec to burst into loud laughter and as he was done with cooking the pancakes, he walked to Magnus, placing his hands on top of the man’s shoulders and Magnus allowed his eyes to slowly shut as Alec moved his hands up to his neck, slowly pressing the fingers into the exposed skin, making Magnus almost purr at the process.

“Hmm, this feels good,” muttered Magnus and a smile spread across his face when he felt a pair of lips kissing up his nape as well and he chuckled when Alec placed one final kiss on top of his head. He then leaned back and smiled brightly up at Alec’s face, allowing himself to admire his lover’s eyes for a few moments and then his eyes closed again as Alec kissed him again. Magnus laughed quietly as Alec was playing with his hair and the smile remained on his face when Alec straightened himself up just a little bit when he heard the door of Max’s bedroom opening.

Max woke up quite early that day, despite not falling asleep until late, but he didn’t care. It was his special day, as Papa reminded him a few times and for the first time, he was actually happy that it was his birthday. He still worried a bit about the party and being in the centre of attention, but he was sure that he would manage. He was turning six, after all, which meant that he was all grown up by Max’s own logic. He quickly changed his clothes as he woke up and let out an excited giggle, clapping his hands together. He kind of thought that Papa and daddy were going to wake him up, but he didn’t allow that to disturb his good mood.

Max walked to the door and opened it, his eyes brightening when he saw a small, wrapped up box, which was placed in front of the door of his bedroom. He quickly picked it up and his heart fluttered with joy when he saw another gift, just a few steps away and he giggled when he saw another one and another. In all, Max received five gifts and was happily chanting to himself when he walked into the kitchen, smiling when he saw daddy and Papa already waiting for him in there.

“Happy birthday, buddy,” said Alec happily and Max quickly placed his gifts onto the floor, running up to his father and he reached up with his hands, in order to be picked up and he giggled when Alec kissed his cheek. “I wish you all the best,” added then Alec and Max happily nodded, extending his little hands out to Papa as well and Magnus was more than happy to pick up the boy in his arms as well, wishing him a happy birthday as well.

“Happy birthday, young man,” said Magnus happily and ruffled the boy’s hair as he placed him back down onto the floor. Max’s eyes widened when he saw the pancakes on the counter and he looked up at both of the men, too happy for words. Not only that he had already received so many gifts, which he loved already without even looking into them, but they also prepared him pancakes!

“Thank you,” said the boy happily and glanced at the gifts and then back at the pancakes. He couldn’t make up his mind; he wanted to eat those pancakes so bad, but the wish to see what was in those wrapped up presents was slightly bigger and he gently tugged onto Alec’s sleeve, pointing at the gifts, the curiosity getting the best of him. “Can I open the gifts, daddy? Papa?”

Alec and Magnus looked at each other and shrugged. “Go ahead,” said Alec and Max happily ran towards the wrapped up presents. From Alec, he had received new, cool shoes that he absolutely adored and some books that he’d or either of the men would read to him. From Papa, he received a bunch of new clothes, of which Alec reminded him that Max didn’t need anything new in his closet, but of course Magnus didn’t listen to him. The second present that he received from Magnus was a new colouring book and some new crayons, because he knew how much the boy loved drawing. Maybe now that he had gotten the colouring book, he’d be using some others colours as well and not only blue.

Max loved all of the presents and his curiosity grew when he picked up another present, which was different from the other four. It was small and thin, Max frowning when he saw that it was an envelope. Magnus nervously pressed his lips together, because he knew that they were the adoption papers, but he wondered. Was Max going to get it? Probably not. Alec, on the other hand, couldn’t stop himself from smiling and his heart was ready to jump out of his chest when Max opened up the envelope and took the paper out.

The boy didn’t get it why he’d receive a piece of paper as a gift. It wasn’t a birthday card, just a normal paper with some stuff written on it, but for some reason both Papa and daddy were looking pretty nervous. Curious, he opened up the paper and pressed his lips together. There were lots of words written on the paper and even though Max already knew how to read and spell, they were too long for him to actually read them. However, his attention was attracted when he saw his name, and Alec’s and Magnus’ names written on the paper as well. Max looked up at Magnus and Alec, who were still nervously looking at him and he then looked back at the paper, focusing on a word written on the top of the paper with bold and big letters.

“Ad,” started the boy and frowned. It was a long word and he needed some time to understand what it meant. “Dop-ti-on,” he then continued by reading and frowned. “Daddy, what does it say?” he asked and looked up at Alec.

“Adoption,” started Alec and nodded. “You know what that means, right?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Good boy,” said Alec and smiled. “Well, you see that there’s Papa’s name written on it as well?”

“Yeah?” asked the boy and then let out a surprised gasp. “Are you adopting Papa, daddy?”

Magnus burst into loud laughter at Max’s comment and then slowly shook his head. “This means that I… I mean, we thought that I should,” started Magnus and then made a short pause. “You know how Alec adopted you?”

“Yeah?”

“W-well, now we thought that, I mean, Alec thought…”

“Papa will adopt me?” asked Max with a small voice and his little heart was about to burst with happiness when Magnus nodded. Max was young indeed, but he knew very well what adoption meant; daddy had adopted him four years ago and completely changed his life. He taught him what a true family was and even though Max didn’t remember much from his previous life with his biologic parents, he knew that he still didn’t like them. He saw them on rare occasions later on in his life, but he started to hate them because they were constantly threatening Alec. So, the fact that Papa was going to do the same as well, made the boy happy and even though he didn’t know the whole concept of adoption, that didn’t matter.

“That’s right,” said Alec happily and his smile widened when he saw how happy the boy looked, not hiding his excitement at all as he threw himself around Magnus’ neck, the older one barely restraining himself from bursting into tears like he did yesterday. He was so happy that no word in the world could describe that. He was going to be Magnus’ legal father and he closed his eyes as he held the giggling boy tightly to himself, Alec stepping close as well and kissed both of them.

* * *

 

“Wendy’s here, Wendy’s here,” announced the boy when he heard someone knocking at the door of their apartment and he quickly skipped over to the door, Alec right behind him. Max’s party had just started and most of the boy’s relatives were already at the apartment as well. The only one who was missing was Max’s friend (crush), Wendy, and the boy let out a small giggle when it was really her at the door. Alec held the door open as he invited the girl’s parents in as well, Max and Wendy already gone into their own little world and both of them were giggling as Max was guiding the girl to the table, where all the snacks and sweets were at.

“I really did a good job with organising this party, didn’t I?” asked Magnus as he was looking around the apartment, proud of himself. Much to Alec’s dislike, the whole apartment was coloured into blue and yellow colours and he let out a small gasp when he saw that everyone was having a great time. He then glanced at his friend, Ragnor, who clicked with his tongue and shook his head.

“ _We_ did a good job, my dear friend,” said the man and folded his arms, because it wasn’t just Magnus who organised everything. Because the party needed to be put together only in a few days, Magnus asked Ragnor for help, because he needed an extra hand with preparing everything. “Don’t just give yourself all the credit,” he then added and Magnus arched an eyebrow.

“Yes, I suppose you helped a bit,” said Magnus, who was only teasing at that point and even though Ragnor knew that, he still let out a small groan.

“A little?” scoffed Ragnor.

“Why so prickly, my old friend?” asked Magnus playfully and just as he was about to say something, Max ran up to the two men and gently tugged onto his Papa’s sleeve, keeping his distance from Magnus’ friend, because he still didn’t know him and he didn’t like strangers very much. Magnus looked down at the boy and cocked his head to the side, leaning down just a little bit. “What is it, Max?” asked Magnus and smiled when he saw that Wendy was waiting for him not that far from them.

“I just wanted to thank you Papa for such a fun party,” said Max happily and giggled, because he loved that day. His party was a huge success and now that Wendy was there as well, he felt as if he walking on clouds from happiness. “It’s really cool.”

“You’re welcome,” said Magnus softly and gently ruffled Max’s hair, glancing at his friend, who was now smiling as the boy stepped closer and he then shrugged. “But you shouldn’t thank just me,” he said and Max looked up at the other man, who was still smiling and took in a deep breath. “My friend helped as well,” he added and Max slowly nodded.

“T-thank you, Papa’s friend,” muttered Max slowly and even though he was nervous speaking with the man, he remained calm and polite. “I really like the party.”

“My name’s Ragnor,” said Ragnor and extended his hand out as he introduced himself, seeing immediately that the boy seemed nervous for some reason. Despite that, Max shook his hand and then shifted from one leg to the other one nervously. “So, you’re the guest of honour, huh?” he then asked and Max shrugged, wanting to get away, but he didn’t want to be rude, so he stayed. “Can I show you a little party trick, Max?” tried Ragnor again and that seemed to catch Max’s attention.

“Uh-huh,” replied Max quickly and shook his head.

“Great,” said Ragnor and then got down onto his knee. Max frowned when the man reached behind his ear, but then his eyes widened when Ragnor was suddenly holding a coin in his fingers and he let out a gasp when Ragnor handed it to him. That impressed Max and the little boy thought that he had just witnessed magic. “See? I just pulled a coin from behind your ear!”

“How did you do that?” blurted out the boy and his eyes were literally shining as he was watching the shiny coin. “Do you have magic?”

“Maybe,” said Ragnor and winked.

“Wow,” said Max and quickly ran up to Wendy, telling her everything about his Papa’s magic friend.

“They’re getting along just fine,” said Clary, who was standing next to Alec and both of them were watching Ragnor, Magnus and Max. Alec smiled and nodded as he took another sip of his drink and he let out a content hum. “And you, enjoying yourself so far?” was Clary’s next question.

“Of course. I might not like parties in general, but this one is special. Not only that it’s Max’s birthday, but it’s a party that Magnus prepared, so it makes it extra special,” said Alec, feeling his cheeks burning up when he heard Clary’s silent chuckle and he then looked at her, sending her a confused look. “What?” he then asked and Clary shrugged.

“I was just thinking… you’ve changed,” said Clary and glanced at her husband for a second, then looked up at Alec again. “In a good way, of course,” she then quickly added, making Alec’s smile reappear and he nodded. He didn’t know whether he changed or not, but a lot of people were saying that ever since he had gotten together with Magnus, so it must’ve been true. The two of them continued to talk, until they were interrupted by Isabelle and Simon, who came closer to them and Alec’s sister grinned when he noticed Max speaking with a girl.

“Is that the girl he likes?” asked Isabelle and Alec nodded. “Oh they are so cute together,” she then squealed and both Simon and Alec rolled their eyes as they looked at each other. “I should go say hi to them and-”

“Oh, no, no,” said Simon and quickly grabbed his girlfriend’s hand. “You’re gonna leave them alone,” he then added and even though Izzy was pouting, he kissed her, making a smile grow on her lips once again. “Let’s get something to drink as well,” said Simon then and walked towards to the bar as he was still holding Isabelle’s hand.

“Good thing that Simon stopped her,” commented Jace, who had just stepped closer to Clary and Alec, wrapping an arm around the redhead’s waist and Alec nodded. “I get that she does that out of love, but sometimes she gets too involved with other people’s business,” said Jace and earned a chuckle from Alec.

“That’s the Izzy we all know and love,” said Alec and grinned when Max looked to his direction, waving at him.

The rest of the day passed by smoothly and was filled with loads of fun. Max spent most of it with Wendy and he couldn’t hide his excitement when it came the time for the cake. His eyes lit up when he saw that there was a Minion on the cake as well and he happily clapped when other people sang him a happy birthday song. As he blew out the candles on the cake, he closed his eyes tightly as he focused on making a wish come true; Papa and daddy marrying each other one day and them staying forever together. Technically those were two wishes, but Max decided that it was okay to make an exception for that day and wish for two wishes instead of one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the support so far :) I really appreciate it ^^
> 
> And as always, comments & opinions are well appreciated ^^


	22. Chapter 22

A week later, or so, Magnus finally had a chance to host the moving in party that he wanted to host so badly. He was really excited about Max's birthday party, but there was just something about the moving in party that made the man extra excited. Probably, because it was a more “grown up party”, which meant more alcohol. Now, Magnus wasn’t the type of a person that would drink a lot, but when he did, he liked to drink a lot and Alec knew that as well. Because the guests of the party were mostly adults, both Alec and Magnus agreed on that it would be probably for the best if Max spend the night over at Maryse’s and Robert’s place. They were both indeed invited to the moving in party, but since they were already guests for Max’s birthday one, they didn’t like the idea of going onto a whole another party. Robert was down for it, but Maryse not so much. That was enough to let Magnus know where Alec got the party-hating-trait (as he liked to call it). Also, Max didn’t want another party, so he easily agreed to spend the night at his grandparents.

The guests were mostly Magnus’ friends and Alec’s other siblings. Alec invited a few people from his work place, but not a lot of them showed up and that made him feel a little bit depressed. Because he didn’t know most of the people there, he mostly hung out with Isabelle and Jace, liking even Simon’s presence, which left all of them speechless. Alec did spend some time talking to Catarina and Ragnor, Magnus’ only friends that he was familiar with and ended up getting to know a few other people, but for the most parts, he was sitting with the people closest to him. He was kind of annoyed that Magnus wouldn’t even look at him as he was mingling with his friends, but at the same time, it was understandable. Magnus did say that he didn’t see his friends in a long time, so he allowed him to have his fun, not wanting to make the same scene as he did it at that club when Magnus introduced Catarina and Ragnor to him.

The one thing that Alec found comforting was all the booze that Magnus had provided for the party. Alec didn’t drink at all, but that night, he decided to go all out, since boredom was starting to get the best of him. After a few martinis, the evening was starting to look just a little brighter and even though he didn’t get a chance to talk to Magnus, he started going up to other people and he talked to them, without any problems, his mind too hazed with the alcohol to actually care what others were thinking of him. However, that probably wasn’t the wisest idea, because he did end up spilling a few embarrassing things, which he would regret the next morning. But, at that exact moment, Alec was feeling great; it was really nice to be a social butterfly once in a while.

As Magnus was talking with his friends, he noticed that Alec suddenly started going around the apartment and was awfully social all of the sudden. Now, Magnus did appreciate that Alec was finally starting to show some interest in his friends, but something about the whole thing seemed really off. Alec was more friendly and chummy than usual and when he glanced at Isabelle and Jace, who were observing his boyfriend as well, he noticed that they were amused with that they saw, just like he was. When Magnus saw Alec emptying a glass of whiskey in one gulp, he quite quickly realised what was going on and he let out a small sigh and shook his head, but wasn’t intending on stopping Alec as long as everyone was having fun.

Magnus slowly walked to Isabelle, who gave him a smile as he stepped next to her and sat down next to Izzy, letting out a small sigh as he shook his head. “How much did he drink?” asked Magnus and glanced at Alec, who was now explaining something to Ragnor rather vividly and Isabelle chuckled when she saw her brother. Alec was acting way out of his character and to some extent that made her amused.

“A few martinis and three glasses of whiskey,” said Isabelle and almost laughed when Alec gulped down another shot of whiskey. “Make that four glasses of whiskey,” she then corrected herself and Magnus frowned. Alec had drank more than he first thought and he frowned. Then again, Magnus himself had quite a few drinks as well, but apart from Alec who was already behaving way out of his character, he could hold his liquor rather good.

“I should go check on him,” muttered Magnus and said something under his breath, before he got up onto his legs and walked to Ragnor’s and Alec’s direction. Magnus almost burst into loud laughter as he stepped to the other two, because the whole situation was beyond hilarious. While Alec was explaining to Ragnor about sushi, more precisely, why people shouldn’t call it a fatty tuna (as that was in Alec’s opinion a degrading term), Ragnor was just nodding as he was utterly speechless about the whole thing and he sent Magnus a look that was screaming for help when he finally noticed his friend coming closer.

“Magnus,” said Alec happily when he saw his boyfriend standing there and Magnus pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh. “I missed you,” he then went on by saying and Magnus gave him a little nod, looking at Ragnor.

“Save me,” mouthed Ragnor and Magnus laughed quietly. “I just asked him what he had for lunch and he started explaining me about… you know, I’m not sure what he was talking about, but please make him shut up,” grumbled Ragnor and rolled his eyes when Alec sent him an offended look.

“Look, Ragnor, I was telling you that we shouldn’t call it a fatty tuna,” said Alec, slurring his words and Magnus arched an eyebrow as Alec folded his arms on top of his chest and gave Ragnor a judging look. “Fish have feelings as well. How would you feel-”

“For the love of god,” said Ragnor, who had it enough. “I’ve had it enough,” he then added and quickly left the two men, quite happy when he saw Catarina and quickly dragged her away, so that Alec couldn’t go up to them and started a ridiculous conversation with them as well.

“And there he goes,” commented Alec, shaking his head in disappointment. “I mean, can you believe it, Magnus? He actually has the decency to-”

As Alec started speaking again, Magnus just rolled his eyes and quieted his boyfriend down with a quick kiss. As Magnus pressed their lips together, Alec’s brain stopped working for a second and as they parted he frowned, because he couldn’t remember what he was saying before. He knew that it was something important and even though it bothered him that he couldn’t remember, he still smiled when Magnus kissed him again and he chuckled happily as his arms went around Magnus waist.

“Liking the party so far, angel?” asked Magnus softly and Alec quickly nodded.

“Yes, it’s amazing,” said Alec a little bit too enthusiastically and Magnus started laughing again. Even though he knew that Alec shouldn’t have had that much to drink, he was still adorable. Alec, on the other hand, frowned when he heard Magnus laughing and he let out a small huff of annoyance. “Why are you laughing?”

“You’re drunk,” said Magnus and grinned.

“Am not,” stated Alec firmly, even though he had to admit it that he had quite some difficulties with holding a conversation and being focused on something. He also remembered drinking something, but not that much. He couldn’t had had that much, right?

“You are,” said Magnus and shrugged. “But I don’t mind. You’re an adorable drunk.”

A shy smile spread across Alec’s face and he flushed into deeper shades of red as Magnus said that, shifting his gaze a little bit and he then finally looked down when he couldn’t bear having Magnus’ eyes staring up at him so intense. “Thanks,” muttered Alec and Magnus’ eyes widened. Was Alec Lightwood actually thanking him for being complimented? Magnus kissed Alec’s temple and then took his hand into his own, Alec letting out a surprised yelp when Magnus started dragging him off to somewhere.

“Where are we going?” asked Alec, trying his best not to stumble over his own two feet, which proved to be quite a challenge at that exact moment and to his drunken state, it actually seemed quite of funny.

“I’m gonna get you some water,” said Magnus and Alec frowned.

“But I’m not thirsty.”

“You drank quite a lot, Alexander. If you don’t get some water in you, you’re gonna feel sick in the morning,” explained Magnus, but much to his annoyance, Alec wasn’t listening to him at all. Instead, the young man shook his head and pointed to the table with champagne on it.

“Look, Magnus, champagne,” said Alec and Magnus pressed his lips together as the younger one took two glasses from the table, handing one over to the older one.

“I think you’ve had enough,” said Magnus and Alec pouted.

“Come on, just this one. As a toast, to our apartment,” tried the younger one again and even though Magnus wanted to say no, that puppy-eyed look made him give up in the end.

“Okay, but that’s the last thing you’re gonna drink, understood?”

“Deal,” said Alec and happily sighed as Magnus took the glass into his hand, Magnus smile widening when they clinked their glasses together and he chuckled when Alec leaned down to kiss him one final time, before emptying the glass of champagne.

* * *

 

“Alec, wait a second,” breathed Magnus out when the younger man trapped him between his own body and the nearest wall, claiming his lips almost immediately. They were the only one left in the apartment, because the other guests left just a few minutes ago and suddenly Alec pressed Magnus against the wall, holding his arms by his wrists and he lifted them up above Magnus’ head, so that Magnus couldn’t push him away. In other circumstances, the whole situation would be a huge turn on for Magnus, but not that time. Alec was still drunk and Magnus wasn’t the type of person, who liked doing _it_ when the other person was as drunk as Alec was at the moment.

“Why?” asked Alec innocently when he pulled back a little, a drunk smile spreading across his lips and he held onto Magnus’ wrists a little bit tighter, pushing his body firmer against Magnus’. “We’re alone in the apartment, Magnus,” crooned Alec against Magnus’ ear, which was doing wonders to Magnus’ body and he closed his eyes tightly as shivers ran up his spine when Alec placed his lips on top of his ear, gentling nibbling on it and then his lips travelled down to Magnus’ neck, placing a few teasing licks and nips against the exposed flesh.

“I mean it Alec,” moaned Magnus and even though he was tempted to let go of that little self control that he had left, he knew that it wouldn’t be right. Alec was a mess and even though they were dating, he would feel about taking advantage of the man in such state. Plus, Alec wouldn’t probably remember it in the morning, so that was another reason that he was against it. He didn’t want it to be meaningless. “Stop,” whispered Magnus against Alec’s lips and frowned when he saw that the smile remained on Alec’s lips.

“No can do,” said Alec and Magnus did nothing when Alec released his arms and pulled him by the collar of his shirt with both of his hands and crushed their lips together. Since Magnus didn’t mind the kiss, he slowly parted his lips when he felt Alec licking along his lower lip and a small gasp escaped past his lips when he felt something hot and wet entering his mouth. Alec smiled into the kiss and moaned softly as he continued to taste Magnus’ mouth; he tasted like alcohol and at that exact moment that was enough to drive Alec mad with need and want.

Magnus let out a yelp of surprise when Alec suddenly lifted him up and because Alec was clumsy, he quickly wrapped his arms around the man’s neck, hooking his legs around Alec’s hips and he bit into his lower lip when Alec pressed him against the wall, closing his eyes when Alec’s lips collided back on top of his and he gently held onto Alec when they shared another kiss. Magnus kind of liked the fact that Alec was being a bit more aggressive than usual, but he didn’t like that that side of him was brought out with alcohol. He wanted to say something as a complaint, but his eyes widened when Alec suddenly took a step back and Magnus grinned when Alec’s strong arms were wrapped around his body as he carried him towards the bedroom.

Alec wanted the moment to sexy and smooth, but on his way to the bedroom, he ended up bumping into a few things. Not only that Magnus was heavy, but since his mind was still hazed with alcohol, he couldn’t really help himself. He gave Magnus an apologetic look when he bumped into the door frame by accident, Magnus letting out a small moan of discomfort. He wanted to be annoyed with Alec, he really did, but the way that the younger one was looking up at him, made it almost impossible. When Alec placed him on top of the bed, Magnus let out a small chuckle as Alec quickly got onto the bed as well and Magnus couldn’t help himself really. He leaned forward and gently tangled his fingers into Alec’s dark hair and Alec’s eyes slowly closed.

“Magnus,” whispered Alec and Magnus leaned forward.

“Yes, angel? What is it?” asked Magnus.

“We really can’t tonight?” asked the younger one as he remembered that Magnus wasn’t really in the mood and he just wanted to make sure. Sure, he was drunk, but he didn’t want to do anything that Magnus would dislike.

“I hate making love if a person is drunk,” muttered Magnus and sighed, biting into his lower lip when he saw that Alec looked disappointed and guilty. As Alec bowed his head down, Magnus gently hugged Alec’s chin and lifted his gaze up, pressing a few kisses on top of Alec’s full lips. “However, I am always on for come cuddling,” he then added with a smile and after a while, Alec nodded as well and smiled.

Magnus wrapped his arms around Alec’s neck and guided the other one down as he lied down against the bed. Alec smiled when he found himself lying against the comfy bed and he chuckled when one of Magnus’ arms was wrapped around his body. The young man moved a bit closer to his boyfriend and placed his head on top of Magnus’ chest, smiling when he heard the man’s slow heartbeat.

They stayed like that for a few moments, just enjoying each other’s presence and the warmth of the bed. It was Alec, who ended the silence by letting out a loud and long yawn, Magnus bursting into laughter when he gazed down at his boyfriend, who was half asleep and Magnus’ facial expression softened when Alec was looking up at him, blinking his heavy and tired eyes. Alec didn’t know it why, but he suddenly felt really tired and sleepy. He had to literally force his eyes to stay open and he frowned when he saw Magnus laughing at him. Again. What was so funny?

“What’s so funny, Magnus?” asked Alec.

“Nothing, darling,” said the older one and grinned. He decided not to make any more comments about how adorable Alec was, because he knew that the other one didn’t really like that word to describe him. “Tired? Do you want to go to sleep? It’s pretty late, so you can go asleep. I’ll just tidy up around the apartment a little bit and then I’ll-”

“No,” whined Alec and hugged Magnus. “We can clean the apartment in the morning. Don’t go, I hate sleeping without you,” he then added and bit into his lower lip. It wasn’t like Alec to be so clingy and it would really be a shame if Magnus wouldn’t take advantage at least of that opportunity. Their apartment was a mess, but at the moment that didn’t really matter. In the end, Magnus just pulled the bedcovers over themselves and called it a day.

* * *

 

It was Alec that was the first one who woke up the next morning and he felt horrible. When he opened his eyes, he was welcomed by a splitting headache and he was thirsty, really thirsty. He would kill for a glass of fresh and cold water, but just thinking about getting out of the bed made him annoyed and he hoped that somehow the feeling of thirst would just go away. If that wasn’t bad enough, he had a bitter feeling in his mouth, probably because of the alcohol and he moaned in discomfort when he rolled around in the bed. As he did that and the picture changed in front of his eyes, he felt his stomach making a weird flop and he felt sick down to his stomach.

Knowing that he was going to throw up, Alec quickly got onto his legs and literally ran towards the bathroom, that waking Magnus up as well. Magnus yawned and rubbed his eyes, kind of surprised to see that Alec wasn’t in the bed anymore, but he quickly realised where his boyfriend was when he heard silent cursing coming from the bathroom and he just shook his head. He did tell Alec the other day that he needed to get some water into his system, or he’d end up like that.

When Alec came out of the bathroom, he went straight back into the bedroom and Magnus’ eyes widened when he saw how pale Alec was. “Oh, you poor thing,” whispered Magnus and helped Alec to the bed. Alec knew that it was his own fault; no one was forcing him to drink, but he was happy that Magnus was being so understanding. “Lie down. I’m gonna bring you some water, okay?” asked Magnus and Alec slowly nodded when he finally lied down.

Magnus nodded as well and hurried to the kitchen, where he poured Alec a glass of fresh and cold water, bringing it to the bedroom and Alec quickly emptied the glass, letting out another groan of discomfort. “Thank you,” said Alec and then pressed his lip together. Even though he was drunk the previous night, unfortunately, he remembered everything; even the stupid and ridiculous conversation that he had with some of Magnus’ friends. Dear god, just what did they think of him?! “Magnus,” started Alec.

“Hmm?”

“Did I do something stupid yesterday?”

“Not really,” said Magnus and shrugged. “But you were the social butterfly of the party,” he then said and grinned when he saw the horrified expression on Alec’s face. “You were especially interested in sushi yesterday as most of my friends mentioned. Most of them were pretty entertained. You just left my poor friend Ragnor traumatised and speechless, which takes a lot from a person to do that. It was quite amusing if you ask me.”

“Kill me,” groaned Alec and buried his face into the pillow.

“Shh, you’re exaggerating. It was adorable,” said Magnus and earned an angry look from Alec. Magnus managed to wipe the anger from Alec’s face by kissing his boyfriend’s forehead and he then straightened himself up. “Now then, you just rest, angel,” said Magnus softly and straightened his clothes. He then looked at the clock and saw that Max was going to show up with his grandparents any time now. It would be probably a good time to start cleaning up the apartment. “I’ll go and start cleaning around the house,” said Magnus and even though Alec felt bad, he could only nod because as soon as he tried to get up, he felt sick again.

“Okay.”

As Magnus left Alec alone in the bed, he slowly made his way to the kitchen and let out a tired sigh, because there was a lot of work needed to be done. He rolled up his sleeves and started cleaning around the kitchen a little bit, trying to make the place look the place at least decent enough. In the meantime as Magnus was cleaning up, Alec felt more and more sick, in the end running up to the bathroom again, feeling sorry for himself. Magnus pressed his lips together when he heard Alec in the bathroom, but just as he was about to comfort his boyfriend, Maryse and Robert had already showed up by their place and Magnus was more than happy to see Max running up to him. Fortunately, Alec’s parents couldn’t stay long and they left pretty much almost immediately.

“Papa, how was the party?” asked Max happily and looked around.

“It was fun,” said Magnus and grinned when Alec stepped out of the bathroom, a weak smile on his face when he saw Max standing there. He waved to the boy and Max’s eyes widened when he saw how pale his daddy’s face was. He looked awfully tired as well.

“What’s wrong daddy? Are you sick?” asked the boy and Alec shook his head.

“Don’t worry about him, Max. He just partied a bit too hard yesterday,” said Magnus and chuckled when he heard Alec saying something under his breath. “But he had a great time, didn’t you Alexander? He made loads of new friends and-” started teasing Magnus, but was interrupted when Alec groaned loudly and rolled his eyes.

“You’re an idiot, Magnus,” said Alec, too tired to actually care that Max was there as well. The boy was at first surprised when he heard Alec say that, but he could see that Papa didn’t look offended. In fact, his grin had gotten wider and as Alec went back into the bedroom, Magnus chuckled.

“I love you too, Alec,” said Magnus, laughing silently when he received loud groan as a response. “Now then, Max,” started Magnus and Max’s eyes travelled up to him. “Why don’t you tell me how you spent your time with grandma and grandpa?” asked Magnus and the boy followed him into the kitchen and started explaining about his adventures with his grandparents as he helped Magnus to clean up a little bit as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Not a lot happened, this chapter is more an excuse for me to write Drunk!Alec xD. Also, yes, I did steal the "fatty tuna" part from the show ~)
> 
> Thanks for the support so far :) I really appreciate it ^^
> 
> And as always, comments & opinions are well appreciated ^^


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus falls sick, but Alec and Max are there to spoil and pamper him to his heart's content.

Magnus wasn't feeling like his usual self that day. He was currently at the preschool, watching over the kids and was sitting at his usual desk, too tired and exhausted to walk among the kids and ask them what they were playing.  He had many plans for that day what they would do at school, but he felt too tired to even bother standing up. Not only that, but his entire body felt heavy and cold. He made sure that it was warm enough in the classroom and some of the children were even complaining that it was too warm, yet, Magnus’ body was still shivering with cold. If all of that wasn’t bad enough, Magnus’ head and throat hurt like hell and he didn’t even need to go to the doctor’s to know what was wrong with him. Just like so many other staff and children at the school, he had to catch the fever as well and he angrily grumbled, because he just wanted to go home.

In the morning, he felt good, just his throat was feeling a little bit itchy and he woke up with a stuffy nose. But other than that, he felt amazing in the morning. It was somewhere around noon that his condition worsened a lot and now he was just sitting behind his desk like a little pile of sadness, trying to keep his distance from the children in order not to get them sick as well. Magnus’ eyes travelled to Max, who was happily running around the classroom with some other children and a tired smile spread across the man’s face, letting out a sigh when he looked at the clock. It was just a few hours before his work was ending and at least that was enough to bring his mood a bit up. Luckily, Alec was going to finish his work a lot earlier that usual, so Magnus made a plan to call his boyfriend when he’d be over.

As Max was playing with his friends, his eyes went over to Papa and he frowned when he saw the man. He didn’t know it why, but something about the other’s face was enough to let the boy know that he wasn’t feeling okay. All of the colour was drained from Magnus’ face and Max’s eyes widened when Magnus started coughing. Was Papa sick? That was the first question that popped into Max’s mind, because it would make sense. Wendy, for example, wasn’t attending the school for quite some days now, because she was sick. So, did Papa catch the cold as well? The boy quickly stopped playing and concerned, stepped closer to the man, who was supporting his heavy head on top of his shoulder, giving the boy a tired smile.

“Papa are you sick?” whispered Max and placed his little palms together behind his back, showing that as a sign that he was scared and nervous. Magnus’ heart melted at the boy’s worry and he just shrugged, slowly nodding in the end, because he knew that it would be pointless to lie. Besides, it was obvious that he was sick.

“Yeah, I’m not feeling very good,” said Magnus slowly, his voice low and raspy and he let out a moan of discomfort when he tried to clear out his throat. As he said that, Max let out a worried gasp and Magnus quickly shook his head, trying to let him know that it wasn’t anything serious. “It’s probably just a little cold,” said Magnus and shrugged. “You’ll see, I’ll feel better in no time,” he then added and swallowed thickly, cursing mentally because his throat hurt like hell. Maybe it would be a good idea to go visit the doctor after all.

“Will you go home earlier?” asked Max innocently and Magnus shook his head.

“I wish I could, Max,” said Magnus and pressed his lips together. Usually, he’d be able to get someone to cover for him, but since a lot of other teachers were sick, he couldn’t do so. “Then again, it’s almost the end of the day, so I think I’ll manage,” whispered the teacher and Max slowly nodded, but he didn’t quite agree with Papa. It would be better if Papa went home and caught some much needed rest. “Now, go play with the others. I don’t want to get you sick as well,” muttered Magnus and Max’s face dropped, but he still nodded.

“Okay,” said the boy and forced a smile.

“You’re really a good boy, Max,” said Magnus and cursed under his breath when Max left off to play with others again. He then opened up the drawer of his desk and weight lifted off of his chest when he found some pills that would help to bring down his fever. He quickly popped two of them out and opened up the water bottle and swallowed the pill, in hope that he would at least feel a little bit better once the pill would start working.

* * *

 

Alec left work earlier than usual, as promised, and hurried over to the preschool to pick Magnus and Max up. The three of them made plans to go visit the cinema once again, because little Max was super excited about going there once again, since he had a great time there the last time. Alec had to admit it as well, it was going to be fun. Then again, he had always a good time no matter what they were doing, as long as they were together. Once in his car, Alec drove towards the preschool, the smile on his face widening as he was coming closer to the building. Once there, he parked the car next to Magnus’ and slowly walked inside of the school.

He was kind of expecting Magnus to wait for him by the gates already, but he didn’t let that bother him too much. His mood brightened even more as he was standing in front of Magnus’ classroom, but the smile disappeared as soon as he looked through the glass of the door. The classroom was empty for some reason, there were only Max and Magnus in it. Alec frowned, because it wasn’t that late, so he thought that some other teacher was going to fill in for Magnus as he’d finish his work. But usually, the teacher came to Magnus’ classroom, so Alec was utterly confused when he realised that the kids were in the classroom next door. Since Max was with Magnus, Alec stepped inside of the classroom and his eyes widened when he saw Magnus.

As the day went on, Magnus found himself too weak to look after such a big group of children, so he did something that he’d never do; send the kids to the classroom next door. He knew that the other teacher was probably annoyed with him, because she already had to take care after her own class. But he couldn’t help himself really. To his luck, she decided to help him out, so Magnus didn’t have to worry about others anymore. Currently, he was still sitting on his usual chair and he did feel a bit better. He took another pill, which finally made the headache go away. He also had a feeling that his fever had gotten down a little bit, but he still felt horrible. Max, on the other hand, was sitting in the corner of the room and was watching over at Magnus. He wanted to help Papa out, but the man told him not to come close to him. Little boy took his words in a wrong way and thought that Magnus didn’t want to talk to him. Alec noticed tears in his eyes and he quickly closed the door as he stepped inside of the classroom and pressed his lips together.

“Magnus, what happened?” asked Alec and his eyes widened even more as the other one looked up. Magnus’ face was pale and his body was covered with sweat, shivering like crazy as the fever was coming back gradually. Alec hurried to his boyfriend and placed a hand on top of Magnus’ forehead, biting into his lower lip. “You’re burning up,” he then whispered against Magnus’ lips and the man slowly nodded. He knew that Alec needed to keep his distance in order not to fall sick, but he found himself too tired to tell him that, so he just melted against Alec’s body when the younger one wrapped his strong arms around him. “You need to go see a doctor,” said Alec and Magnus rolled his eyes.

“I don’t need a doctor, Alexander,” stated the man stubbornly, his voice low and his throat still hurt like hell as he spoke.

“Don’t give me that right now, Magnus,” said Alec firmly and pressed his lips together. “You have a fever, so of course you need one. I’ll go with you if you’re too scared, Mr. Bane,” he then added in a playful tone, making the older male grin with amusement. Even though he was tired, Alec’s little joke was still able to bring out a smile on Magnus’ face, which made Alec happy.

“Will you go with me? I don’t wanna be there all alone. It’s scary,” teased Magnus back and it was Alec’s turn to roll his eyes.

Alec then looked over to Max, who still kept his distance. He was sitting in the corner of the playroom and Alec looked down at Magnus again, who glanced at Max again, knowing why the boy was sitting so far away from him. He ordered Max to stay away from him, but Max probably took his words in a wrong way. He did feel horrible about that, but he didn’t have the strength to explain that to Max. “What’s with Max?” blurted out Alec and frowned.

“I told him to stay away,” whispered Magnus and cleared his throat. “I don’t want him to get sick,” he then added and pressed his lips together when he saw that Alec still didn’t get it. “He probably took it the wrong way,” he then quickly added and Alec nodded, finally understanding why Max looked so miserable in the corner.

Quickly, Alec went over to his son and got down onto his knees, placing a hand on top of the boy’s head and Max’s big eyes found his daddy’s. Max felt devastated; Papa didn’t allow him to be close, but daddy could? It was true that Papa said that he didn’t want him to get sick, but why was only daddy an exception? He placed both of his palms together in his lap and nervously chewed on his lower lip. “Is Papa very sick?” he asked, worry in his voice almost shattering Alec’s heart.

“He’ll have to visit the doctor, but other than that, I think he’ll recover rather quickly,” said Alec softly and that seemed to cheer the little boy up a little bit.

“Daddy?” asked Max and Alec arched an eyebrow. “W-why do I have to stay away from Papa? You don’t have to and he can get you sick too. I wanna help too,” muttered the boy, his little heart breaking when he saw Papa in the chair. “Is he angry with me?”

“Oh, no, of course he isn’t angry with you, Max,” said Alec quickly and shook his head. “Sometimes, there are things that adults deal easier than kids. For example, being sick,” said Alec and hoped that Max was going to understand what he was saying. “The best way you can help him is that you stay away from him for a few days and not get sick,” he then added and sighed. “But in no means is he angry with you. Do you understand, Max?”

“Yeah,” said Max slowly and even though he was still disappointed, at least he wasn’t sad anymore.

“Good,” said Alec and gave Max a little smile. “Now, I’ll call aunt Izzy and she’s gonna take you home while I take Magnus to the doctor, okay?” asked Alec and even though Max wished to shake his head in disapproval, in the end he nodded, because he understood that that way Papa was going to get the help that he needed.

* * *

 

While Alec was at the doctor’s with Magnus, Max went home with his aunt Izzy and was quiet all the way up to the apartment, his thoughts still with his Papa as he tried to think of a way to make him feel better. The fact that he needed to stay away made him sad, but he couldn’t do anything about it. After Alec explained it to him, the boy finally understood that Magnus was telling him to stay away out of love, which did make him feel a lot better. But still, he didn’t just want to stand there and do nothing.

As Isabelle was driving, she said nothing and allowed the boy to have his peace and quiet, because it looked like he needed some of it. However, after they arrived home and Max was still just staying quiet, she knew that she needed to say something. Max was very worried and upset about the whole thing, which was understandable. But, Magnus was going to be okay in a week or so, so Isabelle wasn’t too worried. Then again, Max was still too young to understand that. Also, he was a person that tend to take everything to his heart, which made some things quite a lot more difficult.

“Don’t worry, squirt,” said Isabelle and gave Max a warm smile. “Magnus’s gonna be feeling better in no time. I’m sure that the doctor’s going to give him a medicine that’ll work like magic. You’ll see, so don’t be so down. In the meantime, you can help me tidy around the apartment a little bit. Alec asked me to clean the kitchen and the living room. What do you say?” asked the girl and hoped that that would cheer Max a bit up.

Max let out a small sigh and he shrugged, because he didn’t know what to answer. Sure, he’d like to help to clean, but he wanted to do something that would actually make a difference for Magnus. “Aunt Izzy, how can I make Papa feel better?” asked Max innocently and placed his little hands together behind his back. “I-I know that he’ll be better, but I wanna do something for him that’ll make him feel happy.”

“You have a point, Max,” said Isabelle and gently ruffled Max’s hair. “Well, since you like drawing, maybe you could draw him something? You know how happy he gets when you give him little surprises like that,” said Isabelle when she remembered that Magnus always stored everything that Max gave to him, treasuring every little thing. “Also, I could prepare him a soup or something. That’s supposed to help a person to get better quicker,” added Izzy and Max’s eyes literally lit up when he heard his aunt say that.

“Good idea,” blurted out Max and looked over to the new crayons that he received from Magnus for his birthday, but he still didn’t get around to actually use them. In that exact moment, Max decided that he’d make Magnus a “get-better” card, while Isabelle would prepare the soup for his Papa. “I’ll draw Papa a card and wish him to get better soon,” stated Max and Isabelle smiled, liking Max’s idea.

“Good,” said Isabelle. “I guess I’ll cook that soup then,” she then added and Max happily nodded as he walked to his little table in the living room and started preparing the card for Magnus.

He first folded a piece of paper into a half and on the first page of the card drew a big butterfly and next to it a colourful flower. For the first time, he wasn’t drawing with only one colour, but with all of them. Max didn’t know why it made such a difference, but he somehow felt that using all of the colours for a change would make the card extra special and colourful, probably making Magnus’ fever and cold go away sooner. Also, something about those colours was very meaningful to Max as well. He didn’t know how to put in words, but it seemed as if ever since he met Magnus, his life had started to colour itself little by little and once a boy that saw the world only in blacks and whites, was now full of colour and wonder. When Max was done with the drawing, he wrote _Feel better soon, Papa_ in the card and happily nodded to himself as he admired his work. He knew that it would make Magnus feel better and he was happy about that fact.

By the time that Alec and Magnus came back home, Isabelle was done with her soup as well and she walked to the boy when the two men made their way into the living room. After seeing the doctor, Magnus received some medicine for his fever and all that he wanted to do was to sleep after coming back home. Alec helped him into the living room, holding an arm wrapped around his waist. Magnus wasn’t that weak, he managed to walk on his own just fine, but Alec just wanted to be a good boyfriend, Magnus not complaining at all as he was guided into the living room. Alec then threw a bunch of pillows on top of each other, before Magnus laid down onto the sofa, trying to make Magnus as comfortable as it was possible.

“Thank you, angel,” muttered Magnus when he laid down and chuckled when Alec handed him the blanket, pulling it up to his chin as he was still shivering, his body feeling cold.

Alec then walked into the kitchen, where Max and Isabelle were and scrunched his nose when he saw that Isabelle was cooking again in his kitchen without his consent. Trying to ignore that, Alec looked at Max, who happily waved to him and showed him the card that he made for Magnus. Alec smiled proudly when he read what Max wrote inside the card and his eyes widened when he actually acknowledged that Max drew the drawing using all of the colours of the palette.

“That’s lovely, Max,” said Alec and grinned. “Magnus’s gonna love it,” he then added and turned to Isabelle when she tapped his shoulder.

“How’s Magnus? What did the doctor say?”

“Nothing serious, as I’ve mentioned before. Just a cold with a fever,” said Alec and shrugged. “He’s gotten some antibiotics, so the fever should be completely gone in a couple of days,” he then added and Max let out a relieved sighed, glad to hear that Magnus was going to feel better so soon. Alec’s eyes looked at Isabelle’s soup suspiciously and he frowned. “What’s this, Iz?” asked Alec.

“I just prepared something for Magnus. You know what they say, soup is supposed to make a person feel better,” said Isabelle proudly and Alec arched an eyebrow.

“While that is true,” said Alec and folded his arms on top of his chest. “I want Magnus to feel _better_ not _worse_. If he eats-”

“Daddy, it’s good,” whispered Max.

“Excuse me, what?”

“I made him try it,” said Isabelle and rolled her eyes. “Max said that it tastes better than usual,” she then added. Because Alec still wasn’t convinced, he tried the soup himself and in the end had to admit it that Max was right; Isabelle’s cooking had finally started to get better, which was probably all thanks to Simon. As Isabelle and Alec were busy with arguing about who taught her to finally cook, Max took his card and slowly made his way to Magnus, who was now peacefully napping on the couch, completely surrounded by pillows and blankets.

Max was told to stay away, but he wanted to give his card to Magnus himself. He placed the card onto the coffee table and as he walked away, he woke Magnus up. Max quickly backed away just a little bit and watched how Magnus let out a groan of discomfort and rubbed his tired and heavy eyes, quite quickly locating the card on the table and with a smile he picked it up. Even though he felt terrible, the little gift made him feel a lot better and a tired grin spread across his face when he looked up and saw Max standing in the living room.

“Thank you,” forced out Magnus and chuckled when he realised that Max had for the first time used all the colours to colour his drawing. Impressed and touched, he pointed to the drawing and smiled. “You coloured it with all colours this time?” asked Magnus. “I guess blue isn’t your favourite colour anymore?” he then asked playfully and Max shrugged.

“Now I like all colours after meeting you, Papa,” mumbled Max. That short sentence had more meaning that the little boy knew and he then giggled when he saw the touched expression on Magnus’ face. Max was happy to see that Magnus liked the card so much, so he happily skipped back into the kitchen to let the other two know that.

Magnus, on the other hand, couldn’t stop staring at the drawing and his heart fluttered with joy. He made Max like all of the colours, huh? Didn’t that, in a way, mean that he made his life more colourful? That was something that Magnus liked to believe and no one was going to make him believe otherwise. He bit into his lower lip and he grinned when he saw Alec coming to him this time, carrying some tea and soup for him. Magnus felt his stomach making a growling sound and his mouth watered; he hadn’t eaten since morning.

“Thanks, Alexander,” said Magnus and slowly lifted himself up into sitting position. “You’re all spoiling me way too much. It’ll go to my head,” he then said and chuckled when Alec kissed his temples.

“Let me spoil you for a change,” whispered Alec as he sat down next to Magnus, gently rubbing his back. “Eat now. Izzy prepared the soup, but don’t worry, it’s actually edible this time. Can’t believe she used Max as a guinea pig,” stated Alec playfully and Magnus couldn’t help but to laugh at Alec’s comments.

After finishing his meal, Alec continued to spoil and pamper him all day long and the following one. Max helped as well, but spent most of the time playing with Chairman Meow and he didn’t exactly mind it. Magnus, on the other hand, was quite quickly feeling better thanks to the medicine and after four days he almost made a complete recovery. It was all thanks to Alexander’s extensive care and Max’s little drawings that kept on coming a few times a day.

It was on the fifth day that Alec woke up with a splitting headache and a fever as well. Magnus felt horrible for passing on his sickness onto him, but to Alec it didn’t matter. It made it all worth it, because it was now Magnus’ turn to spoil and pamper him, the younger one taking advantage of every little thing that he could, because he for a fact loved it when Magnus would fuss over him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lunatic19 suggested this idea and I decided to use it :)
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for the support so far :) I really appreciate it ^^
> 
> And as always, comments & opinions are well appreciated ^^


	24. Chapter 24

''A-Alec,'' moaned Magnus out and bit into his lower lip as he looked up at his lover’s face, his face flushed into deep shades of red, his dark hair stuck to his forehead from sweat. “Hurry up,” stammered the older man and gritted his teeth when Alec crooked his fingers inside of him. Magnus cursed under his breath as he fisted the bedsheets and let out a hitched breath when he saw a cocky smile on the younger one’s face. Magnus’ eyes widened when Alec’s fingers brushed against that spot and he arched his back. “T-there,” panted Magnus.

“Here?” asked Alec and crooked his fingers again, earning another moan from his lover and he grinned, rather enjoying himself to be honest. It was him that was usually uncollected when they would make love, so it was really amusing to switch things up once in a while. At first Alec felt a bit shy and embarrassed about taking on the more dominant role, but as time went on, he learned that he actually enjoyed teasing Magnus like that, driving him mad with need and hunger, which left the younger one more turned one than ever. It was really a pleasure to see Magnus completely lose himself in the pleasure when he would push himself inside of him, taking a great pleasure as he would hold onto him and moan his name out, too lost into his fantasy to form any coherent sentences.

“Y-yeah,” whispered Magnus, who couldn’t hold out anymore. He had no idea that his boyfriend had some pretty sadistic tendencies in him; at least in his opinion. Then again, the older one loved it when Alec got more aggressive in the bedroom and even though he was at the moment shivering uncontrollably, trying to convince Alec that they had enough of foreplay, he was enjoying himself more than ever. Usually, he didn’t like it when people would see him like that; stripped down of all of his emotions, too delirious with pleasure to actually think straight. Alexander was the first one that he actually felt comfortable sharing that part of him and his boyfriend knew that very well, feeling special and happy. “C-come on,” he then added and grinned when he saw a smirk upon Alec’s face and the younger one slowly leaned down to kiss him gently, holding his face with his free hand as they kissed.

“What do you want me to do?” crooned Alec against Magnus’ lips and Magnus cursed again, taking in a sharp breath as Alec started placing gently licks and kisses all over his exposed chest, down to his stomach and Magnus let out a loud hiss as he was taken inside of Alec’s hot mouth, fisting his boyfriends hair as he started moving his head up and down, every now and then stopping to see what kind of expression Magnus was making and Magnus didn’t disappoint him at all.

“F-for the love of god,” muttered Magnus and grabbed a handful of Alec’s hair, yanking his head back a little, still careful enough not to pull too hard; he’d never hurt Alec. But, the way that he pulled onto his hair excited Alec and he let out a long moan and dragged his teeth over his lower lip and arched an eyebrow when Magnus sent him an annoyed looked. “Stop stalling and fuck me already,” finally blurted out Magnus, Alec’s face flushing into deep shades of red as he heard Magnus say that.

As he said that, something inside of Alec snapped and he cursed loudly as he quickly leaned to the nightstand, pulling out a condom and he quickly tore it open with his teeth. Magnus’ heart was beating hard against his ribcage and his entire body was shivering with excitement as he continued to observe Alec. Alec then took Magnus hand into his own and guided it to his hard member. “Put it on,” whispered Alec against Magnus’ mouth and the other’s throat got suddenly really dry.

“Alexander,” breathed out Magnus, who didn’t need to be told twice. Alec hissed when Magnus rolled the condom down his length and then he swallowed thickly as he continued to gaze up into Alec’s eyes, which were dark with need and glazed with lust. “ _Please_ ,” he then added and smirked when he saw that Alec couldn’t hold himself back anymore.

Magnus gasped when Alec suddenly flipped him over and his body shivered when Alec ordered him to get onto his knees and part his legs. The older one buried his face into the pillow as he got onto his legs and grinned into the pillow when he heard Alec taking in a deep and shaky breath as he parted his legs, satisfied with himself. Alec’s breathing was laboured as he scooted closer to his boyfriend and Magnus let out a loud hiss when he finally got what his body was dying for. Magnus closed his eyes and an expression of pure bliss and pleasure spread across his face when he felt Alec sliding past the first ring of muscles and his body stiffened up when Alec couldn’t hold back anymore, slamming in with one thrust, leaving Magnus breathless. The feeling was so intense for Magnus, Alec hitting his prostate dead on and his eyes widened at the intensity of the feeling, coming right away with a loud moan of Alec’s name.

“M-Magnus?” breathed out Alec when he felt Magnus shivering beneath him and his eyes widened, because he thought that he might’ve hurt his boyfriend. Worried, Alec placed a few kisses between Magnus’ shoulder blades and then gently hugged his chin, turning his face around, kissing him softly. “Did I hurt you?”

Magnus shook his head and melted right against Alec’s lips and he kissed him with such need and want that it made Alec’s head spin like crazy. “It felt good,” moaned Magnus and gently bit into Alec’s lower lip. “Too good,” added the older one with a chuckle and the smile on Alec’s face returned.

“Did you come?” asked Alec amused and he grinned when Magnus nodded, feeling proud of himself. “Should we stop for a moment, so that you can catch a breath?” asked Alec gently and Magnus quickly shook his head.

“No,” muttered Magnus and bit into his lower lip. “Continue,” was Magnus’ next request and Alec nodded, straightening himself a little bit when he saw that Magnus collected himself enough. “Move, Alexander,” said Magnus and that was exactly what Alec did.

Alec gently gripped Magnus’ sides and picked up a slow pace, and smiled when he heard Magnus’ soft moans and urges to move faster. After a while, Alec did pick up a much faster pace and to Magnus’ delight was hitting all the right spots. “Feels good?” asked Alec into Magnus’ ear and the older one could only nod.

 "Oh god... yes, yes," said Magnus in between his moans.

The older one grabbed the bedsheets and buried his face into the pillow again, in order not to be too loud as Alec picked up the pace once again, not giving him any time to rest. Alec, who loved hearing Magnus beg and moan, frowned and then gently wrapped an arm around Magnus’ shoulders and lifted his body up. Magnus then leaned his body against Alec's and the younger one cupped his chin and turned his head, so that he could kiss him properly. Magnus turned around a bit and moaned when Alec's tongue found its way into his own mouth. Alec then took Magnus’ bottom lip between his own and gently bit into it.

“I love you, Magnus,” whispered Alec into Magnus’ ear and earned a tired chuckle from the other.

“M-me too,” whispered Magnus.

Alec then placed his left hand onto Magnus’ chest, so that the other one didn't fall forwards. His other hand went around Magnus’ arousal and then started stroking it fast. He then gently sucked onto Magnus’ exposed neck, the older taking in a sharp breath as the pleasure was almost overwhelming and it soon came crushing down onto both of them, collapsing onto the bed as they were coming down from the heights of their orgasm.

Alec looked to his right, where Magnus was lying after he finally collected himself enough and grinned when he saw that the other one was still shaking. He slowly scooted closer to the older one and placed a hand on top of Magnus' head, gaining his attention. A tired smile spread across the man's face and even though he tried, he couldn't stop his body from shivering. "You're amazing," whispered Alec into his ear and Magnus grinned.

"Oh yeah?" asked Magnus, his throat unbelievably dry and he slowly rolled onto his side, grinning as he stared into Alec's eyes. "How so, angel?"

"The way you get lost in pleasure," muttered Alec and felt his face heating up a little bit. He dragged his tongue over his lower lip when he saw a grin creeping upon Magnus' face. "You don't think of anything else and allow yourself to completely give in," added Alec and brought his face closer to Magnus'. "It's beautiful," he said. "You're beautiful," he then added and gently held Magnus' face.

"Hmm?" hummed Magnus playfully. "What's that supposed to mean, Alexander? You think about something or someone else when you're in bed with me?" teased Magnus and Alec rolled his eyes when he saw that Magnus was fooling around again.

"Oh don't be ridiculous, Magnus, of course I-"

"It was a joke, darling, calm down," said Magnus and chuckled when Alec gently kissed him. "I love you, Alexander," he then suddenly blurted out and Alec placed one final kiss on top of his head, before he fully pulled back and sighed happily.

"I love you too, Magnus."

* * *

 

**Next day**

Magnus was currently at the mall, alone and was walking around, most of the shopping that he was doing was the window shopping. He was walking around in circles, walking from one jewellery store to the other one, but didn't really dare to step inside on his own. Magnus went to the store with a goal to have a look at some of the rings there, for him and Alec. Lately he found himself toying with the idea of actually asking Alec to marry him. It was no other than Max who engraved that idea into his mind. Up until then, the man didn't think about it so seriously, telling himself that it was still too early for that. But was it really? It was true that they were barely living together for a few months, not even a year since they met. Even though it started off with only a simple thought, Magnus wanted to make it come true.

Alec had finally taken care of all of the adoption papers and Max had finally became his legal son, not that he didn't think of him in that way before the actual adoption. So, in Magnus' opinion it was a perfect time. They wouldn't have to get married straight away, of course not. Things like that take months to prepare and Magnus didn't want to waste any more time with waiting. Then again, he and Alec had never had a proper and serious talk about the marriage, so that made Magnus feel quite self-conscious. Alec learned not to overtaking things and go with the flow, but then again marriage wasn't something that you could just go with the flow.

There were a couple of engagement rings that he found extremely beautiful as he was looking through the glass of the store and he didn't know if he should go inside or not. Just taking a look at it wouldn't hurt anyone, would it? Unable to make a decision, Magnus decided that it would be for the best to let it go at the moment and just go home. However, as he turned around to leave the mall, he heard someone calling his name and he turned around, quickly recognising the two people that were coming closer to him; Clary and Isabelle. When he saw Alec's sister, he let out a small chuckle and he shook his head, did she live in the mall, or what?

Happy to see his two friends, Magnus walked closer to them and smiled broadly when Isabelle nodded to him, Clary slowly walking behind her, looking visibly tired. Isabelle, on the other hand, looked as energetic as ever. "Hello, you two, funny running into you here," said Magnus and arched an eyebrow when Clary shook her head.

"Not really," said the redhead and looked at her friend, who rolled her eyes and Clary just chuckled. "Alec told us that you're here and we kind of decided to stalk you since we had nothing better to do," said Clary and Isabelle let out a quiet laughter, because it was true. Magnus opened his mouth, wanting so say something intelligent, but when he saw Isabelle actually nodding in agreement, he pressed his lips together and let out a small sigh, but smiled in the end.

"So?" started Izzy and rubbed her palms together when she noticed that Magnus was standing in front of the jewellery store and let out an excited giggle. "How come you're alone here? Didn't Alec want to come shopping with you?" asked the girl suspiciously. If not Alec, then at least he could take Max with him. "Or did you want to buy something special?" she then asked and waggled her eyebrows playfully.

"You could say that," muttered Magnus and his eyes glanced at the rings in the display window of the store. Isabelle didn't noticed that, but Clary sure did and let out a surprised gasp, covering her mouth and her eyes widened when she saw that Magnus glanced at the rings. Magnus frowned at first, but then rolled his eyes when he saw that Clary must've figured it out and he said something under his breath.

"You were looking at the engagement rings, weren't you?" asked Clary happily and Isabelle's eyes widened as well. Because Magnus didn't deny that she smiled and the look on his face was enough to let her know that that was indeed the truth. Her shock went away quite quickly and she quickly walked closer to Magnus, placing a hand on top of his shoulder.

"So, you're thinking about marrying Alec?" asked Izzy happily and Magnus slowly nodded, feeling kind of awkward to be discussing the matter with Alec's sister. He himself wasn't even sure if it was a smart move, but at least the girl seemed happy about the news. "That's amazing. You don't know how happy I am for both of you. I mean it," she muttered and then her eyes travelled back to the display window.

"I was thinking about asking him," stammered and rubbed his palms together, showing his nervous side to the girls for the first time and Isabelle's heart melted when she noticed how worried the man looked. "But I don't know, the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that it's still too early," added Magnus and then looked up at the two rings that caught his attention. "Maybe we should just get promise rings for start and then work our way up to the engagement thing," he said and shrugged, frowning when he saw the grin on Clary's face.

"You're thinking way too much about it," muttered Clary.

"Yeah, you sound like Alec right now. It's never good to overthink things, you must do what feels right, without dwelling too much about it," said Isabelle and Clary nodded. "If you think too much about one thing, you'll always find something that will make you doubt it and in the end you'll never do it," she then added.

Magnus pressed his lips together and sighed; he knew that the girls were right, but that was Alec they were talking about. Sure, it seemed the right time to Magnus, but one could never be too sure when it came to Alec. There were times that he didn't like to overthink things and there were times that he couldn't do something about overthinking the matter. "How long were you and Jace together before you decided to get married?" asked Magnus and looked at Clary.

"About two years," she said. "But we were sort of on-off, it wasn't a very stable relationship at first. Nothing like you and Alec for example," said Clary. "But then Jace managed to grow up a little bit," she said and Magnus couldn't help but to chuckle. "And yeah, he just proposed one day, just like that, out of the blue," she then added and a smile spread across her face.

"I see," said Magnus and pressed his lips together, thinking about it hard. Two years was a pretty long time, compared to him and Alec. Magnus knew that he shouldn't compare their relationship to others, but he couldn't help himself really. Clary seemed to notice that as well and she quickly shook her head.

"Don't do that," she said quickly. "Don't compare our relationship to yours," stated Clary firmly and folded her arms on top of her chest. "You have to do what you feel is right, not what _seems_ right to do. So, just ask yourself if it feels like it's the right time or not."

Isabelle nodded as well and Magnus took in a deep breath. In his opinion, he didn't need to think about it again. It was more than a perfect time and the smile on his face was enough to let the girls know what he thought. "I love him more than I've ever loved anyone before and I do want to spend the rest of my life with him. So yes, I do think it's the right time," muttered Magnus and let out a surprised yelp when Isabelle suddenly threw herself around his neck and he just gently patted her back as he continued to laugh silently. His eyes travelled to Clary and he sent her a grateful look, glad about the conversation earlier. He needed that. "Thank you, biscuit," he then said once he finally freed himself from Izzy and Clary just shrugged.

"You're welcome," said the redhead. "I'm glad I was of help."

"So which one do you like?" asked Isabelle and pointed to the rings, Magnus pointing to the one on the bottom left. It was a simple, silver ring with a small, diagonal stripe of small diamonds across the front of it. Even though it looked pretty simple when you first looked at it, that little shimmery stripe made it up to Magnus' liking. Alec was a guy, who didn't wear much of jewellery and if he did, he liked to keep it simple. In Magnus' opinion it was perfect for Alec and he really wanted to buy it. He glanced at Isabelle, whose eyes were literally shining and she quickly nodded.

"It's beautiful," said Clary and the man chuckled, running his fingers through his hair.

"Agreed," said Isabelle. "You should totally buy it," she then suggested and Magnus shrugged. "Come on, let's go inside and have a look at it," said Izzy, a bit too enthusiastic for Magnus' opinion, but he ended up agreeing with her. He had nothing better to do anyway. Also, it seemed like fun now that he had company and with a smile he followed Izzy inside of the store, Clary right behind the two of them.

The trio spend quite a lot of time in the store, looking at different kinds of rings. Even though the shop owner had shown him some other rings as well, Magnus had already his eyes set on that particular one, because it felt as if the ring itself was made for Alec. He didn't go inside with intentions of actually buying the ring; he just wanted to have a closer look, so that he'd see how the ring looked like. However, when he had that closer look, he was finally sure that it was the right time and without thinking too much, he ended up buying the actual ring.

As Magnus was coming back home, his heart was beating like crazy, because he still couldn't believe that he actually bought the ring. All that was left was to make a plan how to surprise Alec and figure out the right moment to pop up the question. The entire thing made Magnus more nervous than ever, but at the same time, that was the beauty of it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the support so far :) I really appreciate it ^^
> 
> And as always, comments & opinions are well appreciated ^^


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus' proposal plans don't go exactly as he planned

Magnus was home alone with Max, Alec on his way back from work. As Max was playing with his toys, he noticed that Papa was looking kind of nervous, constantly looking at the clock and he frowned. Magnus told Max that he had made plans for them to go out on a dinner, which was supposed to be very special and Max was more than excited about the news. Magnus looked pretty excited as he told him that earlier, but now he wasn’t so sure anymore if Papa was looking forward to the dinner anymore. He glanced into the kitchen and he noticed that Magnus was holing something in his hands and was just staring at it. Little Max didn’t know what the thing was, but it seemed important and he curiously went into the kitchen, because he wanted to see what Magnus was holding. Also, he wanted to cheer up his Papa a little bit.

Magnus, on the other hand, was a mess. He had made dinner plans with Alec and Max, in one of those more fancy restaurants. It was a few days after he bought the ring and he finally plucked up enough courage to finally pop up the question. He wanted everything to be special and perfect, so he decided that eating out was the best way to start the evening. Magnus didn’t have intentions of proposing to Alec in the middle of the restaurant; that was something that Alec would hate. Plus, Magnus also wanted the moment to be private and special, so the plan was to propose to the man after they would return back home. In the morning, the plan sounded perfect, but now that Alec was on his way back home, Magnus was getting cold feet again.

Magnus’ heart was beating like crazy as he opened up the small box with the ring inside and he pressed his lips together, gently running a finger over the beautiful ring. As a smile spread across his face, it quickly disappeared, doubt kicking in again and he cursed mentally. What if Alec wasn’t going to like it? Or worse, what if he would say no? Rejection was something that Magnus knew that he should be prepared for, but in all honesty it would probably crush his heart. Also, was it really a good idea to propose in front of Max? What if Alec would feel too pressured and-

Magnus closed his eyes and let out a small sigh; it wasn’t like him to be so nervous and self-conscious about something. It happened rarely and when it did, it was usually when it would be about someone important to Magnus. Annoyed with himself, he closed the box and put it back into his pocket, running his fingers through his hair and when he looked down, he saw Max standing there, his big eyes looking up at him, a smile tugging at his lips. Magnus cocked his head to the side and placed a hand on top of the boy’s head and arched an eyebrow, because he could see that Max was about to say something.

“Papa?” asked Max happily and giggled. “What’s in the box?” he then asked softly and pointed to Papa’s pocket. Magnus’ body stiffened up at the question and he cleared out his throat, rubbing his palms together.

“Oh, you mean this thing?” asked the man and pulled the box out of his pocket, getting down onto his knees, so that Max could have a better look at it. He didn’t know whether he should show the box to Max; he wanted the proposal to be a surprise for Max as well, but at the same time, he got the feeling that it would be better to tell him before he’d actually propose. Besides, it was always better to tell the truth to the boy, so he just decided to tell him. He opened up the box and showed the ring to Max, the little boy giggling with excitement.

Max had a feeling what was in the box; he had seen boxed like that in grown up movies many times, usually when someone would propose to someone else and he couldn’t hide his excitement when he saw that his wish was finally coming true. He was kind of confused why his fathers didn’t want to use the rings that he made for them, but it didn’t matter anymore. “It’s pretty,” whispered Max as he saw the actual ring and he gently touched it.

“Yeah,” said Magnus and chewed on his lower lip.

“Will you ask daddy to marry you?” blurted out Max, keeping things straightforward and Magnus slowly nodded, making the smile on Max’s lips grow wider.

“That were my intentions,” muttered Max and then frowned. He still couldn’t get rid of all the doubts on his mind and it would really help to have someone to talk to; like Clary and Izzy the other day when he was at the mall. They really helped him out that time. Magnus then glanced at the boy and the frown between his eyebrows deepened and he considered asking Max for the advice. It was kind of silly to ask a six year old for a relationship advice, but adults always tend to overthink the simplest kinds of things, so sometimes a child’s point of view was all that was needed. Children always made things seem simple, was what Magnus learned as a teacher and he chuckled at his own silly thoughts.

“What’s wrong, Papa?” asked Max.

“Do you think that Alec’s gonna like the ring?” blurted out Magnus and even though he felt kind of silly when Max giggled, he managed to keep up a straight face.

“Uh-huh,” replied Max and nodded, giggling again. “It is very pretty, daddy’s gonna love it,” went on by saying the boy and Magnus let out a relieved sigh and he then straightened himself up. He had more things that he wanted to discuss with the boy, but just as he was about to ask another thing, the door of the apartment opened and Magnus quickly placed the box back into his pocket. “Daddy’s home, daddy’s home,” announced Max happily and started jumping up and down, Magnus chuckling softly.

“Max, can you keep the ring thing as a secret for a little while? I had something special planned for Alec and I want it to be a surprise,” said Magnus before Max could run up to Alec and tell him everything. Magnus knew that Max was excited, but he still wanted the whole proposal to be a complete surprise for his boyfriend.

“Okay, Papa,” said Max and made a little cross on top of his chest. “I promise. See? Cross my heart!” he then added and Magnus just laughed gently as Max turned around and ran out of the kitchen, running to the front door, where Alec was already taking his jacket off.

A forced smile spread across Alec’s face when he saw the boy running up to him. Alec quickly took Max up into his arms and allowed him to hug him, pressed a kiss on top of his head, before placing him down onto the floor. He then straightened his clothes a little bit, the smile on his face going away almost immediately as Max turned around and he took in a deep breath. Magnus was nowhere to be seen, so Alec came to the conclusion that his boyfriend was probably in the kitchen and he let out a groan when he remembered that they made plans to have the dinner in a restaurant.

Alec really wasn’t in the mood to go out again, he just wanted to stay at home, curl himself into a ball and stay there forever. He had a horrible day at work; shit started in the morning when he arrived there. Alec was quite busy that day, because his boss had given him quite a lot of work to do and because he was so stressed to do everything on time, he messed up big time. Lately, that was happening more and more, but up until then, it was nowhere as bad as that time. Boss’ patience was already running low and in the end, the man snapped at Alec. Alec didn’t blame the man for snapping, it was his own fault for messing things up. And even though he wasn’t really fond of his job, because working in an office was very far away from his dream job, it still hurt when he ended up being fired that day.

Because of that, Alec just wanted to be left alone for that day. Not even Max or Magnus would be able to make his bad mood go away and because he didn’t want to fight with anyone, he knew that it would be for the best to just stay away from the other two. He most likely wouldn’t snap at Max, but would probably end up saying some things that he’d later regret to Magnus. It wouldn’t be on purpose, but just like that time in the club, he couldn’t help himself. When in a bad mood, Alec couldn’t really control what was coming out of his mouth.

Alec made his way to the kitchen and his body stiffened up when he saw Magnus; the other one was already all prepared, dressed in his better clothes for that dinner. Guilt clawed in his chest when he stepped closer and looked down when Magnus sent him a warm smile, stepping closer to him. Magnus’ heart made a jump when Alec stepped into the kitchen and even though he was nervous, he wasn’t scared anymore about proposing. Seeing Alec made him realise that he was worrying too much and his heart melted when the younger one wrapped his arms around him and held him close for a few moments.

“Welcome back home,” said Magnus and chuckled when Alec buried his face into the crook of his neck, Magnus’ own arms going around Alec’s waist and he returned him the hug, allowing his boyfriend to calm down in his arms. The warmth and comfort of Magnus’ hug made Alec’s mood brighten just a little bit and he then soon broke the hug, looking down once again. “Someone’s eager to see me. How was work, Alexander?” he then asked, because he noticed that Alec was acting a little strange, the frown between his eyebrows telling him that something must’ve happened again.

Magnus noticed that lately Alec wasn’t really coming back home happy. He knew that it had to do something with his job and he didn’t really get it why he stayed there if it made him so miserable. Alec never complained, but Magnus knew him well enough to know when something was going on. “I don’t wanna talk about it,” muttered Alec and rubbed his palms together.

“That’s okay, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t wanna,” said Magnus and shrugged, not really minding if Alec didn’t want to discuss it at that exact moment. “Besides, we’re going out tonight, so you’ll be able to get it out of your head, whatever happened,” he then added and noticed how Alec’s facial expression turned into a troubled one when he mentioned going out and Magnus arched an eyebrow. “What’s with that reaction, Alec? We made plans, don’t you remember?” asked Magnus slowly and Alec nodded, but groaned.

“Yeah, but,” started Alec and then made a pause, knowing that he needed to choose his words carefully. “Do we really have to go? I mean, we could go another time, you know? To be honest, I’d rather stay at home today, Magnus,” added Alec and Magnus frowned. Usually, he’d go with Alec’s decision, but not that time. He made all of those plans and he didn’t want them to be washed down the drain like that.

“Alec, darling,” said Magnus and chuckled, gently hugging Alec’s face and he slowly lifted it up, so that he could properly look at him. “I get that you had a bad day at work, but I really mean it when I say that-”

“I know, I know, Magnus,” said Alec and bit into his lower lip, feeling guilty again. “But it’s different this time, not just a bad day at work, trust me,” he muttered and his heart felt heavy when Magnus gently touched his forehead, brushing some of the hair away from his eyes. “You said that you’re preparing something special, but can’t it wait for some other day?”

Magnus let out a small sigh as he pressed their foreheads together and he placed his hands on top of Alec’s shoulders once they parted a little. “It can’t wait until some other-”

“Why not?” asked Alec impatiently.

Not wanting to get into a fight, Magnus knew that he needed to be patient, because he could sense that he was already walking on thin ice with Alec, so he stayed quiet for a few moments. “Look,” started Magnus and Alec folded his arms on top of his chest and waited for Magnus to continue. “It’s too important this time to just-”

“Why is it so important this time?” asked Alec, demanding an explanation why Magnus was being so persistent about going out again. “It’s just a dinner, _Magnus_ , we can eat inside. Why do we always have to go somewhere?” he then went on by asking, annoyance getting the best of him, because he said last words louder than he meant to and he saw that Magnus looked hurt, but that didn’t stop his stupid mouth from taking things further. “If the idea of an evening in is boring to you, then by all means, go ahead and go out to eat with Max. Don’t let me, and my boring self, stop you from having a great time.”

Magnus opened his mouth to say something, but then quickly closed them. He had no idea from where all of that came and he felt hurt; he had never said that or even thought about something like that. And yes, Alec might’ve had a bad day at work, but why did he have to take it out on him again? Magnus’ plans of a perfect evening were just flushed down the drain and even though he kept telling himself that Alec didn’t know about the surprise he was preparing, it still hurt. To go to such lengths to make sure a proposal was going to be perfect and now all of this?

“Why are you doing this? I’ve never said that I don’t like spending evenings in with you and Max,” said Magnus, not trying to hide that Alec had hurt his feelings. “Why do you have to take your anger out on me?” muttered Magnus and frowned. “I’m not a punching bag that you can insult so freely.”

Alec’s heart sunk when Magnus said that and he firmed a fist with his hand, because he knew that Magnus was right. He had no rights to act towards Magnus the way that he was acting, but his stubborn self and his bad mood got the best of him. “I know that, okay?” muttered Alec and shook his head. “Can’t you just leave me be? I don’t wanna say something that I’ll regret later on, please. I’m a failure, so I don’t wanna-”

“A failure, Alexander?” asked Magnus in disbelief and shook his head. “Why would you say that? You’re not…” started the older one, but his voice trailed off and his heart pained when he saw Alec’s expression. Just what made him think he was a failure? “How can you say that? You know that I’d never think of you-”

“I know,” said Alec, interrupting Magnus and he bit into his lower lip. “Look, I don’t want to fight with you, but you don’t know what I’m going through and-”

“Exactly!” exclaimed Magnus, interrupting Alec. “So, talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong, make me understand. I can’t know what happened, because as you know, I can’t read minds, Alexander.”

Alec wanted to tell Magnus that he had just lost his job, but a part of him didn’t want to let Magnus to know. In his opinion, it made him a failure to lose a job after such a short period of time. “It’s not important, Magnus, just leave it be.”

“After making a scene like that, you’re gonna tell me that it’s nothing important?” asked Magnus in disbelief and shook his head. He then slowly moved closer to his boyfriend and gently took his hand into his own, giving it a gentle squeeze. He then brought their hands up and pressed Alec’s against his lips, giving his palm a gentle kiss. “Come on, talk to me. Don’t hide things from me again, you know how much I hate that. What exactly happened?” he asked softly, so soft that it made Alec’s heart squeeze.

The younger one shifted from one leg to the other and opened his mouth, but then quickly closed them. Embarrassment and disappointed with himself were the emotions that Alec was feeling at the moment, too embarrassed to let Magnus know that. “It’s nothing,” said Alec and let go off of Magnus’ hand and walked past him, walking into the bedroom, Magnus’ body flinching when Alec closed the door with a loud slam.

Magnus was angry, pissed with Alec and he barely restrained himself from walking behind him and giving him the piece of his mind as well. However, his anger disappeared a little bit when he saw Max walking into the kitchen and he cursed under his breath when he saw the worried look on Max’s face, his lower lip was trembling and he didn’t think twice as he hurried to the boy, scooping him up into his arms, cursing Alec’s stubbornness as he tried to convince the crying boy that their fight was nothing serious.

Max was devastated; he was so happy that Papa was going to marry daddy, but now it seemed that it would never happen. He heard their fighting and because it was the first time that he actually heard the men fight, he was scared. No matter how hard Magnus tried to calm him down, his words didn’t help at all and in the end Max ended up crying himself to sleep. The man carried the sleeping boy to his bed and after tucking him in, he called the restaurant, calling off the reservations.

After taking care of that, he walked back into the living room and looked at the clock. It was still pretty early, but he felt too angry to actually do anything. Alec was still in the bedroom and for all that Magnus cared, he could stay there. Just like many times, Alec made it all about him, completely ignoring him plans and feelings, which left Magnus sick of anything. He angrily pulled the box out of his pocket and opened it, his heart aching when he saw the ring again. Who would’ve thought that a day that started full of wonder and excitement would end so horribly?

As some more time passed, Magnus put the ring back into his pocket and decided that it was the time to go sleep; part of him just wanted to go to sleep. He suddenly felt really tired, so he decided to go sleep. However, instead of going to the usual bedroom, Magnus went to the guest room and decided to spend the night there, he was too angry to share a bed with Alec that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the support so far :) I really appreciate it ^^
> 
> And as always, comments & opinions are well appreciated ^^


	26. Chapter 26

**Two days later**

Alec woke up in the middle of the night, terrible nightmares creeping into his mind as he tossed in turned in the bed. His eyes shot wide open and he quickly got up into sitting position, trying to even out his laboured breathing, wanting to seek some comfort in cuddling up to Magnus. However, Alec froze once he realised that the bed was empty on the other side and his heart sunk to the pit of his stomach as he pulled up the bedcovers up to him chin and he let out a hitched breath. That was the third night in a row that he woke up alone in the bed and Alec felt horrible. He thought that he and Magnus would be able to reconcile right the next day, but it was Magnus that time, who refused to talk to him. They exchanged a few words during the day, but that was it. Alec knew that he must’ve hurt Magnus’ feelings, but he had no idea that it was that serious. Whatever Magnus had planned for that day, must’ve been serious. At least it was weekend, so Alec didn’t have to pretend to be going to work.

And it wasn’t only Magnus who was giving him the silent treatment; Max also refused to speak to him and that left the man devastated. Especially, because he could hear him cry in the middle of the night quite a few times, but even though he tried to calm him down, Max didn’t want him. He only spoke to Magnus and Alec honestly just wanted to disappear. Most of the days, he spent moping around the apartment, Max and Magnus were mostly out. It was like they were living two completely separate lives and it killed Alec, because he didn’t know how long he’d be able to keep up with that. The man turned to his side and looked at the clock; 2 am. He forced himself to close his eyes, but after a few more moments, he was even more awake than before and he let out an annoyed groan. He didn’t get much sleep these days either; he was constantly thinking of the way to make up to Max and Magnus. And if he wasn’t thinking about that, he was having nightmares.

In Alec’s opinion, their fight earlier wasn’t serious. Was it even a fight? Wanting to justify his actions, Alec tried to lie to himself again, but in the end he really did come to the conclusion that he was the idiot in the situation and he needed to apologise. Whatever Magnus wanted to surprise him with had to be important to the man and guilt crawled back into his chest as he remembered hearing Max cry after the fight. Alec swallowed thickly and quickly got up onto his legs, wanting at least see Magnus’ face if he couldn’t sleep. Alec went to Max’s bedroom first, only to find the boy sleeping there, visibly distressed even in his dreams and he had to force himself to look away when he saw traces of dried up tears on Max’s cheeks. That night, Max cried himself to sleep again and Alec gritted his teeth.

After kissing Max’s forehead, Alec quietly made his way to the guest room, where Magnus had been sleeping at for the past few days. Not wanting to wake him up, he slowly came closer to Magnus and let out a hitched breath when he saw his sleeping his face. He reached with his hand towards Magnus, to touch his cheek, but quickly stopped himself. It didn’t seem like a good idea, he didn’t want to make things even worse. That hurt like hell, but he knew that he needed to apologise. Waking up Magnus like that was probably a bad idea, since it would make him even angrier, but Alec couldn’t go back to sleep either. He slowly went closer to the sleeping man and sighed when he saw Magnus’ clothes, which he was wearing that evening when they were supposed to go out, carelessly thrown in the corner of the room. It was unlike Magnus to leave his clothes like that, so Alec’s heart sunk even more.

Magnus really was pissed, wasn’t he? Wanting to do at least something right, Alec started folding Magnus’ clothes and as he was doing that, something fell from Magnus’ jeans down onto the floor. Alec frowned and picked up the thing, letting out a loud gasp of surprise when he saw that it was actually a ring box. After a few minutes of just staring at the box, Alec’s hands started shaking and he had to sit down onto the floor, because all of the pieces started coming together. Why Magnus insisted on going out, talking about important plans, why he looked so hurt once he refused going out and the fight… it all made sense. Alec didn’t need to open up the box to know what was inside, his stomach making a strange flop once he was hit with realisation that Magnus was probably trying to propose to him that day.

Alec looked over his shoulder and quickly stuffed the box back into the pocket of Magnus’ jeans as he felt sick down to his stomach. The young man was angry, no, furious with himself. The fact that Magnus was trying to propose to him warmed his heart and if he was proposed to that day, he would of course say yes. But now, that wasn’t going to happen any time soon probably, because of his own stupidity. He ruined everything and just for a moment, it became hard to breathe, tears coming up to Alec’s eyes. More guilt crawled into Alec’s heart and it was then that he finally decided that he couldn’t wait until morning; he needed to apologise at that exact moment, not even caring if waking Magnus up was a bad idea or not anymore. If he wouldn’t get it out of his system, then he’d be driven insane with guilt.

Alec slowly climbed onto the bed and gently placed a hand on top of Magnus’ shoulder, gently shaking his body in an attempt to wake his sleeping boyfriend up. “Magnus,” whispered Alec into Magnus’ ear, making the older one flinch, but that didn’t wake him up. Magnus only bumbled something in his sleep and then rolled onto his side, facing Alec. Alec tried to wake up Magnus again, this time shaking him a bit harder and it worked like magic, Magnus’ eyes shot open as he was awaken from his slumber, letting out an annoyed groan when he felt someone shaking him.

“Why?” whined Magnus when someone started shaking him. Because the annoying shaking didn’t stop, he decided to open his eyes to see who the moron that was disturbing his sleep was. When he saw that it was no other than Alec, he almost smiled as he completely forgotten about the fight. However, memories came rushing back to him and he frowned. “What is it?” he asked, annoyed and he rubbed his tired eyes.

“I-” started Alec, but then stopped and looked down when he sensed the coldness in Magnus’ voice. “I’m sorry,” he stammered and then forced himself to look up.

“You’re sorry?” asked Magnus and arched an eyebrow, looking at the clock and he rolled his eyes when he saw the time. “Couldn’t this wait until morning? You woke me up in the middle of the night, just to tell me you’re sorry?” asked Magnus, trying to stay annoyed at the younger one. However, seeing how worried Alec was, probably unable to fall asleep, made it kind of impossible and Magnus just rolled his eyes. Also, during these past days, his anger towards Alec faded away rather quickly, but he was too stubborn to admit that. It hurt him as well to be ignoring and avoiding Alec like that, but he wanted to teach him a lesson. However, he was prepared to put a stop at it, because it was only bringing pain. Not only to him and Alec, but Max as well.

“Um, yeah?” said Alec, unsure, his reply almost sounding like a question. Magnus appreciated the honesty, but he felt far too tired to be talking about that in the middle of the night. He knew that in the end, he would forgive Alec, like he always did and he didn’t particularly mind it. However, he still couldn’t believe that Alec had the nerve to wake him up just like that in the middle of the night. Just as Alec before, Magnus was now being stubborn and wanted to drag being annoyed with the other one a little longer.

“Well, okay, you’re apologised, now let me be,” said Magnus and shrugged, turning around in the bed, facing away from Alec. Magnus didn’t particularly want to insult Alec with that, but to the younger one it sure felt like that and his heart fell to the pit of his stomach when Magnus just turned away from him. Alec got that he probably deserved the silent treatment, but it still hurt like hell. “We’ll talk about it in the morning,” he then added and Alec forced a weak smile, even though Magnus was facing away from him.

“But-”

“What?” snapped Magnus and rolled his eyes. “I am tired, Alec,” he said. “It might be difficult to understand, but I have a job as well and after running after children throughout the entire day, I am exhausted as well. So please, go to bed and leave me be. I’m not in the mood to be discussing this any further.”

“I’ve never said…” started Alec, but his voice trailed off and he then slowly nodded. “I understand,” he then said in the end and bowed his head down, letting out a small sigh. “Yeah, let’s talk about it in the morning,” he added and firmed a fist with his hand. “Can you please come to bed? I can’t sleep without you,” said Alec after a moment or so, his voice desperate and Magnus almost gave it right away. However, he wanted to let Alec know that he was more serious this time, so he just shrugged and hugged the pillow tightly to his chest.

“I’ll spend the night here.”

“Magnus, please, I’m begging you,” said Alec and gently touched Magnus’ shoulder, quickly letting go off him when he noticed how Magnus’ body tensed up under his touch and he closed his eyes. Because he didn’t receive a verbal response right away, Alec gritted his teeth. Magnus’ message was clear enough; stay away, I’m too angry to even look at you. In the end, Alec couldn’t really blame him. “Okay,” whispered Alec with a small voice. “Then, good night. I’m sorry that I woke you up,” he said and just as he was about to leave, a hand grabbing him by the wrist stopped him from leaving.

Magnus was angry with himself; how was he any different? Alec was clearly sorry for his actions and even though he ruined his plans for proposal, he didn’t deserve to be treated that way. Besides, he had seen it how hurt Alec was and how much he regretted his actions. Knowing that there was no way he could stay angry with Alec any longer, Magnus grabbed Alec’s wrist and sighed. “Stay,” he whispered. “I accept your apology, so stay.”

“Okay,” said Alec and his heart started beating faster, not really buying it that Magnus forgave him so quickly; it was too easy. He then laid down as well and wrapped an arm around Magnus’ waist pulling him close to himself. He held onto him tight, too tight for Magnus’ liking as it kind of made it hard to breathe. But even so, the older one placed a hand over Alec’s arms and leaned back against the warmth of Alec’s body. Clingy Alec meant guilty Alec and Magnus bit into his lower lip as Alec squeezed him even tighter.

“Calm down, big guy,” said Magnus and laughed softly. “You’re squeezing too hard, you’re gonna crush me,” he said playfully, in a hope that Alec would say something playful back, but all that he received was a kiss against his nape.

“I really am sorry,” whispered Alec again and squeezed his eyes. “S-see, I was right? I am failure after all. I managed to fuck things up at work and at home as well,” he then went on by saying and Magnus’ eyes widened when he heard that word again.

A failure? Why? Magnus didn’t get it and he really wished that Alec would talk to him more about his work problems. “Just which idiot said that you are a failure, Alexander?” asked Magnus softly and turned around in Alec’s arms. “And stop apologising, I’ve forgiven you a long time ago, I was just too stubborn to actually admit it.”

“My boss,” muttered Alec and bit into his lower lip. “He fired me, Magnus, so this is why-”

Magnus’ eyes widened when Alec said that and he clicked with his tongue. Of course, now it all made sense and he wished that Alec would tell him that sooner, instead of holding things back from him, which resulted in that fight. It wasn’t even a fight anymore, in Magnus’ opinion, just a big and horrible misunderstanding. “That bastard,” said Magnus quietly and sighed as he looked up at Alec’s eyes. “Come here,” he then said and extended his arms out, Alec more than happy to melt against Magnus’ body. “You should’ve said that sooner,” he said. “I wouldn’t have-”

“It doesn’t make a difference,” muttered Alec and shook his head. “It doesn’t change the fact that I acted like a complete ass,” he then added and pressed his lips together. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you that earlier, I was just… embarrassed that I lost a job,” he then added and Magnus sighed, knowing that Alec was a perfectionist when it came to his job.

“It’s nothing embarrassing about losing a job. And it also doesn’t make you a failure. We’ve all been there, I was fired quite a few times before, so I understand how it feels. But it’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” whispered Magnus and kissed Alec softly. “Besides, at least from what I could see, it didn’t make you genuinely happy, did it? You were always so stressed about your work and if you ask me, there’s no point in doing something that stresses you out so much on daily basis,” he said.

“I know that, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m a failure. Just-just look, I made you so upset,” whispered Alec. “And Max as well, I could hear him cry before, but I did nothing. I’m a horrible boyfriend and a terrible father. See? How doesn’t this make me a-”

“For God’s sake,” said Magnus under his breath and shook his head; just how many times would he have to tell it to Alec? “It was just a simple fight, all healthy couples fight from time to time,” said Magnus softly and Alec looked down. “And as for Max… while yes, it was shitty from you to not go check on him, that doesn’t make you a bad father,” said Magnus and shook his head. “How can you even say that? You’ve done so much for him _and_ for me. You aren’t a failure, for fuck’s sake, Alexander,” he said. “Things like that don’t make you a failure, but a human, Alec.” Magnus gave him a small smile, before he continued. “But you must learn not to keep things from me. Talk to me when things get difficult.”

“Yeah, I know,” muttered the younger one and his voice shook. Alec could almost cry from what Magnus said. He thanked the Gods for having a boyfriend that was so patient to put up with his shit and he just slowly nodded. “I love you,” whispered Alec and kissed Magnus slowly, almost as if it was their first kiss and Magnus smiled into their kiss when he felt Alec pulling him closer again. They kissed for a few moments and then spend some more minutes in complete silence, Alec’s mind consumed by that ring box that he saw earlier. Should he tell Magnus that he knew about it? Maybe if he just asked about the plans, Magnus would say something?

 “So about those plans that you made,” started Alec and got up into sitting position, Magnus letting out an annoyed groan when Alec’s body warmth stopped hugging his body. He rolled onto his back and placed an arms under his head and arched an eyebrow. “They seemed pretty important,” went on by saying Alec and licked his lower lip. “What did you have in mind?”

“Oh, that?” asked Magnus and shrugged. “Forget about it, you can make it up to me some other day,” he then added and Alec looked down, feeling deflated and he chewed on his lower lip. He knew that he should be happy that Magnus accepted his apology, but it still bugged him knowing that Magnus was planning on proposing to him. His stomach made another weird flop and his heart started beating faster, warmth raising up to his cheeks and Alec cleared his throat before he continued.

“Yeah, but,” said Alec. “Like, can’t you even tell me why it was so special?”

Magnus frowned, because Alec was acting out of his character and he glanced at his clothes, which were neatly folded on the chair and he pressed his lips together when he looked up at Alec, who was also looking at the clothes and he sighed. “You found the ring, didn’t you?” asked Magnus with a chuckle and Alec flinched.

“What?” asked the younger one and shook his head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You’re a terrible liar, darling.”

“Am not.”

“Then why does it matter so much what the plan was?” asked Magnus with a grin and Alec cursed.

“Fine, I found the box,” muttered Alec. “But in my defence, it fell out of your jeans when I was folding them. Also, I didn’t look inside,” he quickly added and Magnus chuckled.

Magnus felt his heart fastening a little bit and he straightened himself up as well, rubbing his palms together. “Well, then you must know what my plan for that day was,” he said, trying to sound collected, but he failed miserably.

“Yeah, and I ruined it,” said Alec and cursed.

“Shh, it’s okay,” said Magnus and kissed Alec again. “Stop blaming yourself so much,” he then added and Alec scoffed.

“It’s my fault, Magnus, don’t even pretend that it’s not.”

Magnus nodded, but he didn’t even care anyway. But it still made him wonder; what kind of an answer would he receive if he asked Alec to marry him that day? It would probably be a yes, right? “If-if I was about to ask you, though,” started Magnus carefully, not even thinking what he was saying. “What would your answer be?”

Alec was screaming yes on the inside, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he scooted closer to Magnus and even though his heart was hammering against his ribcage, he managed to smirk. “Why don’t you try asking me properly?” asked Alec slowly and Magnus’ eyes widened, looking up and down Alec’s face and his throat suddenly felt really dry.

“Now?”

“Yeah, now,” whispered Alec. “Why not?”

For a moment, Magnus hesitated. He was caught off guard and his mind was yelling at him to say something. Nervously, he chewed on his lower lip. He wanted to make the moment perfect, take Alec out on a dinner, have Max beside them when he’d ask. But then again, what was a “perfect” moment, anyway? He wanted to create a co-called “perfect moment”, but things ended up being horrible in the end. At that exact moment, the timing itself felt right, so he didn’t think twice as he quickly hurried and took the box out of the pocket and returned to the bed, letting out a moan of discomfort as he tripped himself over the chair and Alec couldn’t really stop himself from laughing out loud at his boyfriend.

When Magnus was standing next to the bed, Alec slowly scooted to the edge of it and was sure that he was gonna get a heart attack when Magnus actually got down onto one knee. Magnus hesitated for a little bit, but then got down onto his knee and finally did what he had been dying to do for a few days now; ask Alec to marry him. Magnus noticed the shy smile on Alec’s face and even though it was dark, he could see Alec’s flush. Alec let out a hitched breath when Magnus took his hand into his and opened up the box. The ring itself was beautiful, but the look on Magnus’ face even more and Alec had to hold back his tears of happiness when the older one kissed his palm again.

“Let’s pretend that the fight didn’t happen,” muttered Magnus and Alec slowly nodded. “A-and pretend that we’re in that fancy restaurant,” added Magnus nervously, making Alec chuckle and he just leaned down, kissing Magnus’ forehead. “Shit, I wanted this to be more special and-”

“What are you talking about?” whispered Alec. “I don’t need to pretend to be somewhere else, because right here, with you, is more than perfect,” he then added and gave Magnus’ hand a gentle squeeze.

“Right,” said Magnus and licked his lower lip, taking in a deep breath as he was finally ready to propose. He wanted it to sound romantic, but he ended up stuttering horribly, making the moment all that more precious to Alec. “T-these months with you and Max have been the happiest for me. You brought so much happiness and love into my life and I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” started Magnus, noticing that his voice started shaking more and more. “I love you so much and I really can’t imagine a life without you and Max in,” he then added, taking in a deep breath, before actually asking the question. “W-would you like to marry me?”

Even though Alec knew what was going to happen, he was still speechless and he kept on staring at the ring, without saying anything. He wanted to marry Magnus, of course, but he was still so choked up about everything, that nothing left his mouth. The silence was kind of unbearable at that point for Magnus and he felt nervousness kicking in again.

“Daddy, the correct answer is yes,” then suddenly said a voice, coming from the door of the bedroom and both men looked into that direction, only to see Max standing there, happily eavesdropping on their conversation.

Because of the fight, Max couldn’t sleep peacefully as well and he was awakened by a bad dream in the middle of the night. Honestly, he felt like crying again when he remembered Papa and daddy having that fight and even though he struggled to fall asleep again, he couldn’t. His bad mood lasted until he heard someone laughing from the guest room, so he decided to check up on what was going on. When he came there, the door was opened and when he peeked inside, he saw Papa down onto his knee, asking daddy to marry him. To the boy, that was the best surprise ever and he happily giggled when the other two noticed him standing there. That meant that Papa and daddy finally stopped fighting and even though Max was still angry with daddy for acting the way he did, he forgot all about it when he saw Magnus down on his knee.

“Max?” asked Alec and wanted to go to the boy, but Max stopped him before he could even stand up.

“No, daddy, first you must answer Papa,” said Max happily and Magnus chuckled, but became serious again when he looked at Alec.

“Yeah, you have a point,” said Alec awkwardly, feeling himself more of a child than Max. His eyes went then back to Magnus, who was still waiting for an answer. Magnus chuckled at his comment, taking that as a sign that Alec was nervous and his heart melted at the way that Alec was nervously chewing onto his lower lip, before smiling broadly and nodding. “Yes, of course,” he then whispered and Magnus smiled as well. “I’d love to,” he then added and pressed his lips together as Magnus took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto his finger. “Holy shit, it’s beautiful,” blurted out Alec and Magnus started laughing out loud, while Max covered his mouth with a hand when he heard daddy swearing, but he then quickly started giggling happily again.

“Thank you, Alexander, you have just made me the happiest person alive,” muttered Magnus and then kissed Alec gently, Alec’s arms pulling him up and Magnus chuckled when he felt Alec dragging him back onto the bed.

“I could say the same thing too,” whispered Alec against Magnus’ lips.

“Me three, me three,” then exclaimed the boy and ran up to the bed, Magnus signing him to come up with them and little Max didn’t need to be told twice. He quickly climbed up to the bed and comfortably placed himself between daddy and Papa. At that exact moment that was the perfect spot to be at. He was more than happy to see that the other two seemed to work things out and he happily giggled when he noticed that daddy was still looking at the ring.

Alec’s heart was about to explode with so many feelings that he was feeling and he could almost cry when he noticed the way that Magnus was looking at him. “We’re getting married,” whispered Alec, his face growing hot again and he flushed even harder when he heard Magnus laughing besides him.

“That we are,” said Magnus and sighed. “I’m so happy I could die right now,” added Magnus and Max quickly shook his head.

“Don’t say that, Papa,” said Max.

“Hey, Max,” said Alec and Max looked up at him. “I’m sorry for before, that you had to hear us fight,” he then added and Max just shrugged, because it didn’t matter anymore. “I had a very bad day at work and I said-”

“It’s okay daddy, don’t ruin the moment with talking about the fight,” said Max. “You two made up, right?”

“Yeah,” said Magnus and chuckled. “There’s no way I can stay mad for too long at Alec,” he then added and Alec grinned.

“So everything’s good then,” said Max happily and scooted closer to Magnus, Alec moving closer as well and the older male chuckled when Max placed his head on top of his chest. After a few moments of silence, Max fell back asleep, because he was tired and with a smile on his face, Magnus looked at Alec, who was still awake and grinned.

“I think we should go to sleep soon,” said Magnus and Alec nodded.

“Good night, Magnus,” whispered Alec, draping an arm around Magnus’ waist, hugging Max at the process as well and Magnus pulled bedcovers over themselves, giving Alec one final kiss.

“Sleep tight,” said Magnus and quite soon all three of them were peacefully sleeping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the support so far :) I really appreciate it ^^
> 
> And as always, comments & opinions are well appreciated ^^


	27. Chapter 27

''He finally proposed?'' asked Isabelle, her voice far too high pitched for Alec's liking and the young man just rolled his eyes, but a smile came upon his face after a little while and he chuckled, nodding as a response to Izzy's question. Alec's sister then happily clapped with her hands together and looked over at Magnus, who was in the kitchen and was pouring himself a glass of water.

It was the next day and Isabelle decided to come by the apartment to check on her brother and the other two. Her real intentions were to see if Magnus finally plucked up the courage to ask Alec to marry him. Isabelle didn't want to be too nosy, but the curiosity was getting the best of her. Also, she was kind of confused, because the two had been acting a little strange the past two days, but if she asked if something happened, she'd always get the same response; nothing. Something felt wrong about it, so she decided to come by unannounced the next day and was pleasantly surprised when she saw that everything seemed okay. More than okay, really.

Izzy's eyes located the ring on Alec's finger as soon as she stepped inside of the apartment and she couldn't hold back her excitement. Alec was kind of confused when he heard Isabelle asking that, but he then remembered that Izzy had the tendency to notice new things if he had any, so he thought that that was the explanation for that. He nodded happily and chuckled when Isabelle walked next to him and gave him a big and long hug. After breaking the hug, Isabelle took Alec's hand into her own and smiled when she saw the ring on Alec's hand; just as she expected, it looked as if it was made for him. It wasn't really surprising, because it wasn't a secret that Magnus was an expert when it came to things like that.

“You were right about the ring,” she then went on by saying and Alec arched an eyebrow when the girl looked at Magnus and the man smiled broadly, nodding in agreement. “It really was made for him,” she then happily added and bit into her lower lip, beaming up at her brother; she was so, so happy for him and proud as well.

“Excuse me, what?” asked Alec when he heard Izzy say that and Magnus chuckled as he walked closer to the two siblings, the sight of them almost melting his heart; they were precious together, especially Isabelle, because she looked so happy for her big brother.

“Remember the day I went out to the mall on my own?” asked Magnus and Alec nodded, quickly realising it that that was probably the time Magnus bought the ring. “The reason why I told you and Max to stay at home was because I went to buy you that ring and I wanted it to be a surprise,” he went on by saying and Alec smiled when Magnus walked behind him and rested his chin on top of his shoulder. “Let's just say that I was having some doubts about the whole thing, but then luckily your sister and Clary came by and helped me out a little bit,” he added and Alec opened his eyes wide, looking at Izzy, who was just silently snickering and he frowned. “And they also helped me to pick out the ring.”

“This is why you and Clary were constantly asking me if something new happened,” whispered Alec to himself, thinking that the other two knew about him getting fired and because it annoyed him, he decided to keep it from them as well. However, now that he saw that they were actually asking about the engagement, he just had to smile and he let out a happy sigh.

“So,” started Izzy and giggled when she looked at Magnus and Alec. “Where did he propose? Did he take you anywhere special? You were saying something about taking him out to a fancy restaurant?” asked Isabelle, wanting to hear everything about how it happened. She might’ve been a bit too nosy, but she didn’t care at that moment; she was too happy about the entire thing and nothing was going to stop her from getting the answers. “Magnus, please you have to tell every little detail,” she then asked, her voice again high pitched and the older one started laughing silently when he saw the horrified look on Alec’s face. Again; those two were precious when together.

Magnus shrugged, not knowing what to tell. The proposal didn’t happen like how he imagined it to happen at first. In fact, it was even better than that, so he just chuckled when he saw the worried expression on Alec’s face, who was feeling guilty again. The man took the younger one’s hand into his own as they sat down and bit into his lower lip. “We decided on not going to the restaurant,” said Magnus slowly, ignoring the fight that lasted for the last two days; Izzy didn’t need to know. It was pointless, anyway. “We were talking the night before it, because Alec found the ring box as he was going through my clothes,” he then added and Izzy chuckled, listening to everything with a wide smile on her face. “Then, I asked,” he said and linked his and Alec’s fingers together. “We woke Max up, because we were a bit too loud and he was lucky enough to see it as well,” he then quickly added as he remembered the boy being there too.

“Oh that is so romantic,” whispered Isabelle, excited and placed a hand over her heart. As she did that, Alec noticed that he wasn’t the only one with a new ring and he frowned, watching it carefully. Isabelle started talking again, but he paid no attention to that, his mind far too focused on that ring. It was a nice one as well, probably quite expensive. From Simon? Probably. Did he propose? The frown between his eyebrows deepened, not knowing how to feel about that. It was true that he had gotten closer to the guy, but-

“Darling, she asked you a question,” suddenly said a voice, waking him up from his daydreaming and Alec turned to Magnus and then looked at Isabelle, who sent him a confused look. Her expression then turned into an angry one, looking rather offended by the fact that Alec wasn’t listening her at all.

“Huh?”

“I asked when’s the wedding gonna be?” repeated herself Isabelle and Alec shrugged.

“We haven’t decided yet,” said Alec and then pointed to the ring on Isabelle’s finger. “Forget about that now. It looks like you have a new ring as well. Care to explain?” asked Alec then and raised his eyebrows, letting go off Magnus’ hand and he folded his arms on top of his chest. It was as if he transformed from Izzy’s brother to her father and Magnus looked at the girl’s hand, whistling when he saw the ring as well.

“Oh, this?” asked Isabelle and waved with her hand in front of Alec’s eyes.

“Yes, this, Izzy,” said Alec, demanding an explanation.

To Magnus, the whole scene was beyond funny. Alec had the tendency to get overprotective when it came to his little sister and to the older one that was beyond adorable. Isabelle, on the other hand, didn’t like it what much when Alec got so overprotective of her, because she wasn’t a little kid anymore. Just like him, she was an adult now, so she didn’t understand why Alec would still treat her like that. Then again, she got really overprotective of him as well, so she understood. The way that Alec was looking at her was beginning to crack her up as well.

“Simon gave it to me. It’s a promise ring, he has a matching one as well,” said Izzy happily and Magnus smiled, happy to hear that. Surprisingly, Alec was smiling as well and Isabelle’s heart was melting as she looked at her own ring. “I told him that Magnus bought a ring for you, so there was where he got the idea. He bought us the promise rings right the next day,” she explained and chuckled.

“That’s amazing,” said Magnus, happy for his friend and then looked at Alec. “Right, Alexander?”

“Yeah, that’s right,” said Alec slowly, happy for his sister as well.

“Oh, thank you,” said Isabelle and then rubbed her palms together. “Now then, let’s go back to your wedding. If you guys want, I can help you plan it.”

At the words ‘wedding’ and ‘plan’, Max, who was playing with Chairman Meow, perked his head up and started listening to the conversation. He patted the cat one final time, before he slowly walked up to his two dads and his aunt, giggling when he saw Alec’s face. He already looked exhausted just talking about planning the wedding, but Magnus seemed interested in what Isabelle had to say. Max silently climbed up onto the couch and sat down between Magnus and Alec. Isabelle smiled when she saw the boy and leaned forward to gently ruffle his hair.

“What do you think, squirt?” asked Isabelle and Max’s eyes lit up when he saw asked the question, because he, too, had some plans for daddy’s and Papa’s wedding. “What kind of wedding should it be, Maxie?”

“Fancy,” said Max and Magnus had to hold back his laughter at the mention of that word. “With lots and lots of flowers,” he then went on by saying and pressed his lips together and his imagination went running with the ideas. “And butterflies,” finished the boy.

“Butterflies?” asked Izzy and chuckled.

“Yes, lots and lots of butterflies,” said the boy. “Oh, and music as well. So that people can dance and have a great time.”

“You’re right, music is indeed very important,” said Magnus and Max beamed up at the compliment.

“Flowers are important too, right daddy?” asked Max and looked up at Alec.

“The most important,” replied Alec happily and Max chuckled again, happy to see that Alec was on board with his plan as well. As Max and Izzy kept on talking about the wedding, Magnus and Alec just listened to them in complete silence, but the smiles on their faces remained.

* * *

 

“I still can’t believe that you’re getting married,” muttered Jace and turned the beer bottle in his hands as a smile crept upon his face and he shook his head as he took a sip of his drink and let out a loud sigh. He and Alec were currently out at their usual club, having a ‘guy’s night out’ as they liked to call it. For some reason, Magnus didn’t want to join them and he rather stayed at the apartment where he, Max, Clary and Isabelle were probably chatting about the wedding plans. As excited as Alec was, Jace was still too traumatised about the wedding plans from his wedding, so Alec decided to be a good brother, agreeing to go out with him just to put him out of his misery; it was hilarious, really.

“I know, right?” muttered Alec and laughed silently as he shrugged. “To be honest, before meeting Magnus… I thought that I’d never be able to have something like that. You know, like a real family. That was why I adopted Max, because I wanted a family of my own,” he went on by saying and he smiled softly. “But never in a million years did I think that I’d be getting married,” he then added and let out a happy sigh.

“I know, you told me that before,” said Jace and emptied his beer bottle. “I’ve told you that you were gonna meet someone that’s gonna be the right for you, didn’t I?” went on by saying the blonde one and Alec nodded, because that was true. It was rare for Jace to get into deep conversations and when it happened, Alec had to admit it that Jace was actually a pretty good listener, despite his big ego. “You’re all grown up now. I’m so proud of you, man,” he then added, teasing of course and Alec rolled his eyes.

“I’m older than you,” said Alec under his breath, because he didn’t like it when Jace would baby him like that. He said that loud enough for Jace to hear him and the younger one started silently laughing, finding it hilarious that that still bothered Alec after so many years. “Anyway, since we’re here now, I have to ask you something,” went on by saying Alec as he remembered that he could probably ask Jace to be his best man at the wedding. He knew that it was still pretty early, but with all the talk about the wedding, it felt the right time.

“Sure go ahead,” said Jace, who was now playing with the empty bottle, passing it from one hand to the other one, making Alec kind of annoyed since he was going to ask him something pretty serious and important as well. After a few more moments, Alec finally had enough and took the empty bottle from Jace’s hands and placed it back onto the table, but far away from the blonde’s reach and Jace frowned when he eyed Alec.

“Please, listen,” said Alec and straightened himself up on his chair a little bit and rubbed is palms together. “It’s kind of serious, so please focus,“ he then added and gained another eye roll from the younger one, but in the end he decided to let Alec ask him whatever he wanted it to be. If it was serious and important to the older one, he knew well enough that he shouldn’t be an idiot about it, so he nodded and gave a smile to Alec.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry,” said Jace and shrugged. “So, what did you wanna ask?”

“Well, since everyone’s talking about the wedding,” stammered Alec and huffed under his breath. “Like, I know that it’s still pretty early, I mean, he just proposed yesterday, but I still wanted to ask,” said Alec and looked at his brother, who just nodded, but didn’t say anything. He could sense that Alec was nervous a little bit and he already kind of got the idea what Alec was going to ask him; he was like that too before he asked Alec to be his best man at his own wedding. “Would you like to be my best man? I mean, I was yours and-”

“Of course, Alec,” said Jace happily and chuckled when Alec looked somewhat relieved. “It would be an honour,” he then quickly added and Alec just nodded, but didn’t say anything.

Jace’s reply warmed Alec’s heart up and he barely restrained himself from smiling too widely. Years ago, when Jace asked him to be his best man, it killed Alec and he wished that he could say no. Back then, he still had feelings for the younger one, so it really killed him to see him so happy with Clary at the wedding. It was then that he kind of gave up on the idea of ever getting someone that would love him the same as Jace loved Clary. But now that he had, he was happy that destiny had proven him wrong and he just let out a happy sigh and leaned back in his chair.

“Need any more advices on this wedding thing?” asked Jace and folded his arms on top of his chest and pressed his lips together. “As you know, I am a _pro_ at it by now,” he then added, his arrogant side starting to show again and Alec just shook his head.

“No, thanks,” said Alec and then a smile tugged at his lips. “Although, your help might come in handy,” he then added and Jace nodded, as if he was trying to tell him ‘told you so’. “You could be our wedding planner, I know just how much you _enjoyed_ planning your own wedding, so if you’d like you can help us with that,” he said playfully and the smile on Jace’s lips quickly disappeared, shaking his head in protest.

“I love you, Alec, but there’s nothing in the world that’ll convince me into planning a wedding, sorry,” said Jace and Alec started laughing when he saw the expression on Jace’s face. The blonde one knew that his brother was only joking and because he was in a good mood, he allowed Alec to mess around with him for a little bit. “Have you told mom and dad about the engagement?” asked Jace after a few moments of silence and Alec nodded.

“I did,” said Alec happily. “They were both happy to hear the news, especially mom. While dad just congratulated us, mom started crying,” muttered Alec and scratched behind his neck. “I’m glad that everyone’s being so supportive,” he then added and shrugged.

“What about Magnus’ parents?”

Alec opened his mouth to say something, but he then quickly closed them again and his body tensed up at the question a little bit. To be honest, Alec didn’t know a lot about Magnus’ parents; he just knew that their relationship was horrible and Magnus didn’t like to talk about them. Up until then, he had never met them before, he but kind of hoped that as time passed that Magnus would introduce them to him; or some other relatives. Alec sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know,” he muttered and chewed on his lower lip. “Magnus doesn’t have a good relationship with his parents and even I don’t know a lot about them,” he said. “I suppose he still hasn’t told them.”

“Wait a minute, Alec,” said Jace and his eyes widened. “Have you ever met his parents?”

“No.”

“Seriously?” asked Jace, dumbfounded.

“I asked him quite a few times about his parents and if I could meet them, but he always refuses,” said the older one and shrugged. “He says that he doesn’t want to have any contacts with his family ever again. From what he told me, he really had a rough time growing up and ended up leaving them as soon as he could,” he added and stayed quiet for a few moments. “So, I would love to meet them, but I don’t wanna push him into doing that if he doesn’t feel comfortable. I mean if they are really so horrible, then I guess it’s for the best, at least for now. You know what I mean?”

“Yeah, I get it,” said Jace, who didn’t know that Magnus had such a troubled past. “You’re right,” he then added and then a silence fell between them. After a little while, Jace went to the bathroom and as he was left alone, someone sat down next to him; a woman, dressed in purple and Alec’s body froze when he turned around to face her; it was Camille.

Unlike the last time, when Alec didn’t know anything about her, this time he froze and he gripped the bottle of his drink and swallowed thickly when she suddenly sat down next to him. It seemed as if she was waiting for the perfect moment to get him alone and Alec let out a hitched breath when she moved a little bit closer; she looked as beautiful as ever, but he still felt uncomfortable. It kind of didn’t feel right meeting her behind Magnus’ back, especially when he knew how much he disliked her and even though she seemed nice, according to Magnus, she meant nothing but trouble.

“Hello,” she said, greeting him happily and Alec raised an eyebrow, but decided to stay polite, since she didn’t mean any harm. Yet.

“Hello, there,” said Alec and gave her a little smile. “Camille, right?” he asked and the woman smiled, nodding, but the smile disappeared quite quickly. He didn’t seem too happy to see her, so Magnus’ must’ve told him all about her.

“That’s right,” said Camille. “How’s it going?”

“Um, fine,” replied Alec awkwardly and looked towards where the bathrooms were, Jace still nowhere to be seen. “And, uh, you? Everything alright?” he asked and Camille happily nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” said Camille and made a short pause. “How’s Magnus?”

“Good.”

“That’s nice to hear,” she said and Alec just quietly nodded. “So you two are still together?”

“Yes,” said Alec and pulled the sleeve of his oversized sweater over his hand where his engagement ring was; he didn’t want her to see, because he wasn’t in the mood to be explaining it to her.

“So,” she started and Alec looked at her, arching an eyebrow. It seemed as if she had a purpose to be there and it wasn’t just a coincidence that they’ve ran into each other. “I’ve overheard you talking to that blonde one,” said Camille and Alec gritted his teeth. “You know, about Magnus’ parents and how you haven’t met them yet?”

“Look, I don’t wanna be mean, but-”

“Relax, I mean no harm,” whispered Camille and looked hurt for a little moment, but she appeared to recover quite quickly. “I wanna help,” she then said and gave Alec a smile. Camille opened up her purse and pulled something out, a small card and he folded his arms on top of his chest. “You said that you wanted to meet Magnus’ parents?” she asked, but Alec didn’t respond and he just waited for her to continue. “Well, I’ve met them quite a few times and this is a business card of Magnus’ mother,” said Camille and handed the card to Alec. Because he didn’t take it, she placed it onto the table and sighed. “Give her a call and-”

“No, thank you,” said Alec and shook his head. “I appreciate the offer, but no. There’s a reason why Magnus doesn’t want me to meet them and I won’t go behind his back and do this. It wouldn’t be right and I don’t wanna hurt him.”

“But it’s fair of him that he’s keeping you as a secret from his own family?” asked Camille and those words made quite an impact on Alec. He was mad; but not at Magnus, but at her. Just as Magnus mentioned, she knew how to manipulate people and even though he believed that her intentions were good, he didn’t like it how she spoke about Magnus.

“He has his reasons and I respect them,” said Alec.

“But-”

“Could you please go?” asked Alec when he saw that Jace was finally coming back and she rolled her eyes.

“Fine, but I’m leaving this here,” said Camille as she stood up, pointing at the card.

Alec opened his mouth to say something, but she had already walked away. He panicked when he saw Jace coming back, so he quickly snatched the card from the table and tucked it into a pocket of his jacket. He didn’t have any intentions of actually calling Magnus’ mother, but he didn’t have the energy to explain it to Jace either.

“Sorry that I took so long, there was a line,” said Jace and sat down next to Alec, who wore a troubled expression on his face and he frowned. “Everything alright, buddy?”

“Uh, yeah, of course,” said Alec and smiled, forgetting the encounter with Camille as the two of them ordered another drink and continued talking about random, ridiculous stuff. It felt like old times, but better and Alec was happier than ever.

* * *

 

“How was your evening out, angel?” asked Magnus when Alec stepped into the apartment and a drunk smile spread across Alec’s face. He wasn’t exactly drunk, just a bit tipsy to be honest and Magnus chuckled when Alec wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him close and connected their lips together.

“It was okay,” whispered Alec and Magnus started laughing silently when Alec started pressing kisses all over his face. He did nothing to stop him and he closed his eyes as Alec continued to shower his face with kisses, actually giggling at some point and Alec’s heart made a jump at that. It was such a little thing, but it made Alec’s heart skip a beat. “You’re adorable,” muttered Alec into Magnus’ ear.

“Hmm? Really?” asked Magnus, a wicked grin coming upon his lips and he kissed Alec once again, slightly longer this time and started laughing as Alec started walking towards the bedroom, but ended up clumsily running into the lamp and almost tripped himself. Luckily, Magnus was there to catch him from falling with wrapping an arm around his waist and he pulled him up back onto his legs. “Slow down,” he then said.

“You’ve got a point,” said Alec, remembering that he was still wearing his jacket. He quickly took it off and as he did that, something fell out of his pocket. Alec didn’t notice that and he turned around, hanging his jacket next to Magnus’. Magnus’ eyes, however, located a small card right away and as Alec was busy with taking of his shoes, Magnus picked up the card and his eyes widened when he saw his mother’s name written on it. His fingers shook slightly and his eyes travelled up to Alec again, who was turned away from him and he let out a hitched breath when he felt his heart hitting the pit of his stomach. Where did Alec get that?

“Alexander-”

“I’m thirsty,” said Alec, interrupting Magnus and he then walked into the kitchen.

Magnus frowned when he was interrupted and he followed Alec into the kitchen, still holding the card in his hand as he was becoming more and more nervous. Did Alec go behind his back to meet his parents? That didn’t sound like something Alec would do, but then again, he had his mother’s business card and Magnus had no ideas how he got it in the first place. Nervously, he walked behind the counter and opened his mouth to say something, but then closed them again, not knowing what to say. Alec had the right to meet his parents, but Magnus didn’t want that. Ever since he was little, they would always meddle into his life, and not in a good way. Camille was the last one that he introduced to them and it went horribly. Since then, he promised himself to completely cut them out of his life and it was working fine. Until then, apparently. But if Alec really wished to meet them so much, he’d say something to him, wouldn’t he?

“You wanted to say something?” asked Alec and Magnus quickly hid the card into his pocket and shook his head.

“Nothing important,” said Magnus and walked closer to Alec. “Come here, I missed you,” he then added and his worries disappeared immediately when Alec’s lips collided onto his. However, finding that card was enough to plant a little seed of doubt into Magnus’ heart and even though he tried to ignore it, the annoying feeling wouldn’t go away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the support so far :) I really appreciate it ^^
> 
> And as always, comments & opinions are well appreciated ^^


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not a lot happens, there's just a lot of talking in this one, sorry xD

It was the morning of the next day and Alec woke up when he felt someone gently stroking his head, smiling, because he could recognise the fingers playing with his hair. The warmth that was hugging his body felt like home and he lazily opened his eyes, yawning as he looked up at Magnus, who was awake and gave him a small smile. Magnus noticed that Alec was awake when he suddenly moved and it seemed to Alec that Magnus was thinking about something, a serious look spread across his face. However, the serious expression faded away when he looked down at Alec and Magnus laughed gently when Alec climbed on top of him, straddling his hips and he then leaned down, gently kissing the older one; giving him a good morning kiss. Alec then looked at the clock and felt kind of happy that it was still pretty early; he’d still have some time with Magnus alone before he and Max would leave the apartment and go to school. It sucked not having a job and just do nothing the entire day.

“Good morning, Alexander,” muttered Magnus and looked up at Alec, who slowly climbed off of him and laid back down, pulling the bedcovers up to his chin. It wasn’t cold, but Alec liked the feeling of that and Magnus’ smile grew when he saw Alec hugging the bedcovers. With a grin on his face, he moved closer and wrapped an arm around Alec’s waist. “Did you sleep okay?” he then asked and smirked when he remembered that Alec came tipsy from the club. “You’re not feeling sick, are you?” asked Magnus playfully.

“I feel okay,” said Alec and yawned again and rubbed his tired eyes again, stretching his limbs out when he felt Magnus’ arm around his waist. He allowed himself to be pulled closer to the other one and he just happily hummed, wrapping his legs around Magnus’. “I wasn’t even that drunk, Magnus,” said Alec then and groaned when Magnus started smirking again. However, that smirk was quickly wiped away as he looked like that Magnus was remembered of something and Alec cocked his head to the side. “How did you sleep?” he asked carefully and Magnus shrugged.

“I didn’t get that much sleep tonight,” muttered Magnus, because it was the truth. Meanwhile, Alec was soundly asleep next to him, Magnus kept on waking up during the night, most of the time thinking about his parents and Alec. It still bugged him knowing that Alec had his mother’s business card and what bothered him even more was the fact how Alec got it. No matter how much he thought about it, it just didn’t add up. Alec would tell him, right?

“Aw, you poor little thing,” muttered Alec, kind of joking, but he was serious as well. “Did you have nightmares?”

“You could say so, yeah,” said Magnus and shrugged. “That, and someone kept on snoring during the whole night, making me unable to fall back asleep,” he then added, teasing Alec back and with amusement he watched how Alec’s face became a few shades redder, making Magnus chuckle softly.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Magnus. I don’t snore,” said Alec.

“Oh, of course you don’t,” said Magnus and laughed again when he saw the expression on Alec’s face. That made Magnus’ laughter grow even louder and Alec just rolled his eyes, but was happy to see that he was able to bring out a smile on Magnus’ face. That, however, didn’t last long as well and a troubled expression came back onto Magnus’ face. He wasn’t the type of person that liked hiding things from the other one, so he decided to confront him even before going to work. He would’ve done it the night before, but Alec wasn’t exactly sober, so it wouldn’t make a difference really. “Hey, Alec?” asked Magnus and Alec looked at him. “Did something happen during these past days?”

“Happen?” asked Alec confused at Magnus’ sudden question and he frowned, because he didn’t know what Magnus had in mind. “Like what?”

“For example,” started Magnus and chewed on his lower lip. “I mean, not exactly happen, but like,” he started again, but stopped and let out a loud sigh, Alec arching an eyebrow when he saw how nervous Magnus looked. “Do you have something to tell me?” was the question that Magnus finally came up with and Alec became even more confused.

“What would I have to tell you?” muttered Alec and got up into sitting position. Magnus was acting strange and that was enough to let him know that it must’ve been something serious. What had he done again? Alec was really oblivious and thick headed when it came to certain things, but he tried not to keep things away from Magnus anymore. He had learned that the last time the hard way, but no matter how hard he thought about it, he just couldn’t think of anything. Nothing really happened these past few days, except from him running into Camille the last night and- “I ran into Camille last night when I was at the club with Jace,” said Alec suddenly and watched how Magnus’ body stiffened up.

Magnus froze; so there wasn’t just the card thing, but he met with Camille as well. Magnus’ heart was now beating faster and he himself was not sitting up as well, not liking where the conversation was going. “Why on Earth would you meet up with her?” asked Magnus carefully and looked down, looking rather upset and Alec frowned.

“Did I say that I _met_ up with her?” asked Alec and shook his head. “I ran into her, I didn’t know that she was gonna be there,” he then went on by saying and Magnus slowly nodded, but still didn’t like it that Camille went behind his back to meet up with Alec. That woman was horrible and Magnus really didn’t know what he saw in her years ago.

“What did she want?” asked Magnus, his voice cold and low. Alec could sense hatred towards Camille in Magnus’ voice and he let out a small sigh. From his point of view, Camille really was trying to help him out the last night, but he knew that Magnus was going to snap when he’d tell him that she gave him a business card of his mother. “What did she say, Alexander?” asked Magnus again, worried because Alec was just quiet and not saying anything.

“I’ll tell you, just promise me you won’t freak out too much, okay?” asked Alec slowly and Magnus’ face darkened with anger.

“What did she do?” asked Magnus, calmly this time, but the anger remained on his face.

“ _Nothing,_ ” said Alec. “I and Jace were just chatting about our wedding and I was just telling him about how happy my parents were about us getting engaged. When Jace asked me how your parents reacted, I told him that we still haven’t told them,” said Alec and Magnus looked down, feeling guilt creeping into his heart, but he tried to ignore that for the time being. “I also told Jace that I still haven’t met any of your family,” added Alec after a while and Magnus’ fingers started trembling.

“Alec, I-”

“It’s okay,” said Alec and gently took Magnus’ hands into his own, making the trembling stop. “I told him that you have your reasons and I respect them. I’d never, ever, ask from you to introduce them to me if that would hurt you,” he said and Magnus let out a hitched breath as Magnus gripped onto his hands. “Then Camille came,” said Alec and sighed. “She was of course listening to our conversation and she offered her _help_. By help, I mean that she gave me your mother’s business card in order for me to get into contact with your family,” he then added and Magnus’ heart fell to the pit of his stomach.

“Alexander,” started Magnus again, but his voice trailed off.

“I did take the card in the end, even though I didn’t want to, but I would never actually call her. Not like this, I would never go behind your back and do something like that,” added Alec quickly and sighed. “Look, I’ll go get that card and give it to you, okay?”

Before Alec could get up, Magnus stopped him from leaving with gently grabbing his wrist. “Wait,” he said and then Alec nodded, watching how Magnus reached over to his nightstand and took something from it. Alec’s eyes widened when he saw that Magnus was holding the card that Camille had given to him and he let out a small sigh; he then understood it why Magnus was acting so weird. “I found it yesterday, it fell from your jacket,” he then added and gave the card to Alec.

“I see,” said Alec and noticed that Magnus still looked upset. “Look, I would never call her. Not without your consent, never,” he quickly added and Magnus nodded, feeling stupid that he ever doubted into the younger one. On the other hand, he was angry with Camille; she had no right to give the card to Alec. She might’ve said that she was helping, but Alec didn’t know her like he did and that was just one of her many manipulation techniques.

“I know that, Alexander,” said Magnus softly and gave him a small smile. “But I’m upset with Camille, she had no right to-”

“Oh, forget about her, Magnus,” said Alec and rolled his eyes. “Even though you don’t believe that her intentions weren’t bad, just ignore her. Don’t put any more fire to your relationship, it would be stupid. Promise me you won’t start another fight with her?” asked Alec and despite that he didn’t like Camille too much, it would be stupid to fight again with her.

“Fine, I promise,” said Magnus, those words coming out of his mouth painfully slowly. Alec nodded and seemed pleased with that. Satisfied, Alec laid back down and scooted closer to Magnus, who was still sitting up. With a smile on his face, Alec placed his arms around Magnus’ waist and rested his head on top of Magnus’ stomach as the other one leaned back just a bit, supporting himself on the pillows. Magnus’ fingers went back into Alec’s hair and he then sighed. “Just so you know,” started Magnus and Alec looked up. “I’m not keeping you as a secret from my parents.”

“Huh?”

“What I mean is; they know about you. And about Max,” muttered Magnus, who had told his parents that he was seeing someone and that it was serious. “But, just as I expected, they didn’t care. I’ve asked them if they wanted to meet you, but they refused,” he then went on by saying and he closed his eyes tightly.

“So this is why,” muttered Alec and Magnus nodded. “Well, you were right then. It’s their loss, really,” he then went on by saying. “If they don’t want to be a part of your life, then fuck them.” Alec pressed his lips together when he heard himself say that and he looked up at Magnus, who wore a hurt expression on his face. “I’m sorry, Magnus, I didn’t mean it like that-”

“It’s not your fault, angel,” whispered Magnus as a sad smile spread across his face. “You’re right, fuck them, who needs them, right?” Magnus then bit into his lower lip and shrugged. “But it still hurt like hell to know that they still have no interest in me. After so many years, I’m still nothing but a burden to them.”

Alec didn’t say anything anymore. He just straightened himself up and pulled Magnus into a tight hug, who was more than happy to return him the hug, his fingers tugging onto Alec’s shirt as he nuzzled into the younger one’s shoulder. “They’re idiots. You’re important to me, to Max, to my family. Don’t forget that, okay?”

“Yeah,” breathed out Magnus and held tightly onto Alec.

* * *

 

**A week later**

“This fucking sucks!” yelled Alec and threw himself onto the couch when he came back home. Luckily, Max was in his bedroom to not hear him swear, but Magnus sure did and he quickly hurried to the man, who had buried his face into his palms and let out a defeated groan. Magnus’ facial expression softened up when he saw him and he sat down next to him, placing a hand onto Alec’s back, drawing uneven patterns and he smiled when he felt Alec’s muscles relaxing under his touch.

“I suppose the interview didn’t go well?” asked Magnus softly.

Alec had been out for the entire day, going from one job interview to the other one. He had been doing that since he had lost his job, but somehow, none of the interview went soothingly. It didn’t bother the young man the first few times, but now he felt as if he had hit rock bottom; and that just after a week. He knew that it was normal to get rejected so many times; it was kind of impossible to find a new job in a week. And yet, it bothered him. He didn’t know what to do with himself, being at home all alone while Max and Magnus were at the school. He kept himself busy with the interviews, but that was it. He wasn’t doing anything productive.

“It was horrible,” whined Alec, feeling completely self-conscious. During the past week, he had lost almost all of the confidence with his skills; even his social ones. On the last interview, he even messed up introducing himself to the people in charge at the company where he was having interview. If that wasn’t bad enough; all of the people present in the room started laughing at him and he just wanted to disappear. “I made a complete ass out of myself at the last one,” he then said and looked up at Magnus, who was now gently running his fingers through Alec’s hair.

“Alexander, it’s okay,” said Magnus softly and observed how Alec closed his eyes as he continued to play with locks of the other’s hair. That seemed to make him more relaxed, so he continued, Alec letting out a small sigh of relief and he suddenly felt very tired. Exhausted, Alec laid down, placing his head into Magnus’ lap and the older one leaned down to press a kiss on top of Alec’s forehead. “Feeling better?”

“I guess,” huffed Alec.

“Listen,” started Magnus. “Let’s be realistic, it isn’t easy to find a job these days, especially not after just a week of searching. You’re being too hard on yourself, angel,” he said softly “It’ll take some time before you have a new one, so don’t worry too much. Also, relax. You always overworked yourself at your previous job, so you need to get some rest. And figure out what kind of work would really make you happy. Office work isn’t for you, I’ve seen it. It wasn’t making you happy and it killed me to see you so unhappy.”

“But-”

"As I said, it's important that you do something you'll enjoy," said Magnus and his eyebrows raised in a compassionate look for the other one. He knew that Alec struggled at the moment, but rushing into something was going to solve absolutely nothing. If anything, it would create more problems in the long run.

"You say that like that's so easy, Magnus," complained Alec and pressed his lips together. Magnus had a point, like most of the time. And yes, while he agreed that it was important doing something that you liked, it rarely happened. Besides, Alec himself didn't know what kind of a job was his dream one, so working in an office was the easiest choice to make. It was boring and stressful, but at least then he was doing something. "Besides, I don't even know what my ‘dream’ job would be. I mean there isn't anything that I love doing that much. And I don't have any special talents," he then added and shrugged. "Thanks for the advice though."

"No offense, but it's stupid if you really think that you don't have any special talents or if you think that there wouldn't be any job that would make you happy," said Magnus under his breath and Alec gave him a look that was a mixture of confusion and curiosity. Seeing that he had Alec's full attention, a smile tugged at Magnus' lips and he just shrugged, because he knew that Alec was waiting for him to tell him what kind of a special talent he possessed. "What's with that reaction?" asked Magnus and chuckled. "I know that you don't agree with me, but trust me, you are pretty talented."

"You seem pretty confident with that comment," said Alec and rolled his eyes. "Well, enlighten me, because I can't seem to find that hidden talent, which I'm supposed to possess," he then added and Magnus grinned at Alec's remark.

"Are you being sassy with me, Alexander?" asked Magnus with a chuckle. “You're supposed to find that talent yourself," he said. "Or it doesn't even have to be a talent, but just something that makes you happy," he then quickly added and noticed a frown growing between Alec's eyebrows. "You've never taken a time for yourself to figure out what genuinely makes you happy, have you?" asked Magnus, because it appeared that Alec was thinking really hard.

Alec didn't know what kind of answer to give to Magnus, because even though he knew that the older one was right, he had no ideas what would make him happy. That realisation shook Alec right to the core, by his age he should've have it figured it out. Yet, that was the first time that he was actually thought what kind of a thing would make him happy. Up until then, it didn't matter. Neither to him, not to other people around him. And there was Magnus, a man who he was going to marry and loved with all his heart and soul, asking him that. As the realisation sunk in, Alec felt choked up. He let out a hitched breath and he shrugged.

What did make him happy, apart from his family? When Alec was still a child, he used to love drawing and writing little poems. Things like that made him be able to convey his feelings. Plus, being creative made him feel relaxed, calm... and happy, too. As he grew up, he still drew here and there, but completely stopped after his dad told him that he wouldn't be able to make a living with that. So, Alec listened to his father and gave up on his wish to become an artist. Not a lot of people even knew that he was actually a pretty talented illustrator and writer, apart from Izzy and Jace. Sad that he had to give up on his dream like that, Alec locked that away and he hadn't drawn nor written in years. He didn't even feel the need to, but Magnus suddenly awakened that passion and he pressed his lips together.

Magnus sighed and clicked with his tongue. His words must've left quite an impact on Alec, because he was still thinking about it, so he chuckled and finally woke Alec from his thinking. "It's okay if you don't know what makes you happy," said Magnus, even though in his opinion that was kind of heart breaking. "You just need to find a new hobby and I'm sure you'll find something that'll make you happy."

"Drawing and writing make me happy," blurted out Alec and Magnus arched an eyebrow.

"What?"

"I know that I haven't mentioned it before," said Alec slowly and then made a short pause. "But years ago, when I was still in high school I wanted to become an illustrator or a writer," he then added and an amused look came upon Magnus' face. He had no idea that that was something that Alec liked doing, but he was more than interested into the whole thing

"What stopped you from becoming one?"

"My dad," said Alec. "He said that things like writing and drawing are more of a hobby than a career. I was stupid enough to listen to him. Because of that, I kind of gave up on the whole thing. I mean it's been years since I've written or drawn anything. I don't know, it's silly and-"

"It's not silly at all," said Magnus quickly, interrupting the younger one and he smiled. It sucked that Alec gave up on his dream because of his dad in the past, but maybe this was an opportunity for Alec to achieve his long lost dream. "If it's something that you enjoy, why not give it a try?"

"Seriously?"

"Sure, why not?" asked Magnus and chuckled. "I can't believe that you haven't told me that before though."

"Well, I kind of forced myself to forget," muttered Alec and sighed. "Sorry."

"You don't have to apologise," said Magnus and straightened himself up. "I suppose you don't have any of your old drawings with you, have you?" he then asked, because he was curious.

"Actually, I do," said Alec when he remembered that he still had some of the photos on his phone from his high school days, for sentimental value. He then took his phone into his hand and scrunched his nose when he went through the gallery and found the drawings. The photos were in a bad quality, but it was what it was and he felt strangely emotional when he started scrolling through them. When he saw Magnus leaning closer, he smiled and gave the phone to the older one. "Here; these are some of my sketches."

“Woah, these are very good,” said Magnus after a few moments of scrolling through the photos. “You could totally make a career out of your talent, you know?” he then asked and Alec just shrugged.

“Things like that take time,” said Alec. “I can’t just become an illustrator over the night, Magnus.”

“I know that,” said Magnus. “However, you can totally make it work. For example, why not try getting a part time job in a restaurant or something like that, while you’d work on something? Didn’t you once said that Clary’s stepfather works as a CEO at a book publishing company?” he then asked and Alec slowly nodded. “Well, there you have it, I’m sure he’d help you out. If writing and drawing is your passion, why not try to make a career out of it?”

“Yeah? And what would I do? Write and draw books for children?” asked Alec sarcastically, but the idea kind of wasn’t bad.

“Why not?” asked Magnus. “If it’d make you happy. I’m sure you’d get some help from Max as well.”

“I-” started Alec and then closed his mouth, frowning. “That is actually not a bad idea. I’ll think about it.”

“Told you so,” said Magnus and smirked. “When have I ever had a bad idea, huh?”

 “Thanks, Magnus. You always know what to say to calm me down,” said Alec and let out a happy sigh, nuzzling his face into Magnus’ thigh. “So how was your day? Anything interesting happened?” asked Alec, because he didn’t want to be the only one complaining, it was a selfish thing to do and he knew that very well.

“Nothing special for me. But Max was having a great time,” said Magnus and grinned. “Wendy invited him over for the weekend. I said that he could go,” he then said and looked down at Alec, as if he was looking for a permission to say that. Even though he had adopted Max, he still needed a bit of a time to actually process that as well. “Well, if that’s okay with you, that is,” he then quickly added and Alec clicked with his tongue.

“You don’t need my permission, Magnus,” said Alec and then smiled. “Max is _our_ son,” he then said, emphasising the word ‘our’. “Of course he can go. How could we prevent him from seeing her, huh?” he then added and laughed silently, because the boy still seemed to have a crush on the girl. Also, something told him that the crush was a mutual thing and not one sided.

“True,” said Magnus.

“So, where’s Max now?”

“In his room,” said Magnus and his smile grew. “Preparing for the meeting with Wendy.”

“But it’s only Tuesday,” muttered Alec. “Didn’t you say that he’s gonna go over during the weekend?”

“Yeah, that’s right,” said Magnus and started silently laughing. “But he said that he wants to be extra, special ready,” went on by saying the older one. “He’s precious, just like you,” he then added and sighed happily when Alec rolled his eyes, but the smile remained on his lips.

“Well, then, if he’s busy then we should do something as well,” muttered Alec and got up onto his legs, pulling Magnus up as well. “Come on, help me prepare the dinner,” he said and Magnus happily followed him into the kitchen.

“With pleasure, darling,” said Magnus, Alec’s loud laughter filling the kitchen when he was pressed against the counter, trapped between it and Magnus’ body and their lips met in a kiss and even though Alec was trying to cook later on, Magnus managed to make him awfully distracted with the way he was hugging and kissing him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg, 800 kudos?! 
> 
> Thank you so much you guys, I literally don't know what to say. I feel quite emotional seeing so many people reading and liking this. This story is kind of my baby, so it is that more special. Again, thank you so much for your support. You guys keep me motivated to continue on writing and I know how sappy it sounds, but I really wouldn't be able to write this without your motivation. <3
> 
> As always, comments & opinions are well appreciated ^^


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Preparations for the wedding have started, yay ^^

**A month later**

It was a month later and preparations for Alec’s and Magnus’ wedding were in full go. The two of them had finally set the date for their wedding; it was happening in less than two months. Everybody was super excited about it, especially little Max who did everything that was in his power to help his dads out as well. He had been dreaming since that for a while now and he wanted the day to be perfect. He had many ideas and both Alec and Magnus made sure that they were including some of them with the planning of the wedding. Now, it was mostly only Isabelle and Clary that were helping them out and even though Alec didn’t know how to feel about that at first, he had to admit it that he actually quite liked the preparations so far.

Unlike from Jace, he actually tried to be a good boyfriend and even though he didn’t know a lot of stuff, of which Magnus was talking with the girls, he still at least told his opinion and war there for the entire planning thing. Magnus could sense that Alec was bored some times, but he didn’t hold that against him. He was lucky enough to have Alec every step on the way and he wasn’t about to go complaining, even though he caught the younger one rolling his eyes from time to time. Magnus wore a smile on his face as he glanced at Alec, who was sitting on the sofa next to him and was listening to Clary’s and Isabelle’s propositions about the location of the wedding.

Alec was frowning as he was listening to Izzy and he arched an eyebrow when his sister showed him the location. It was a beautiful place, but too big for Alec’s liking; he didn’t intend the wedding to be big. Special and fancy, yes, but nothing too big. He only wanted to invite his and Magnus’ family, if they decided to show up, and their closest friends. Magnus leaned forward to Alec when he saw doubt written on the younger’s face and he sent Alec a confused look. To Magnus, it seemed perfect and he didn’t know why Alec didn’t appear to like it.

“Izzy, don’t you think that this is a bit… too spacious?” asked Alec slowly and Isabelle arched an eyebrow as well, because she didn’t understand her big brother’s concerns. It was indeed big, but it was a wedding, so why not go all out on it? “I mean, it looks great and all, but I just think that it’s a bit too much.”

“What do you mean?” asked Isabelle and looked at Clary, who just shrugged her shoulders, not knowing what Alec’s problem was as well. In her opinion, the place was perfect and if she was about to get married again, she would love to do it at a location like that. “Are you concerned about the price? Simon knows a guy that works there, so it shouldn’t be that expensive. Plus, you can afford it. It’s your wedding, for God’s sake, Alec,” said Izzy and pressed her lips together.

“I know that we can afford it,” said Alec and sighed. “I just,” he started, but his voice trailed off when he felt Magnus’ eyes on him and he looked away for a moment or so, in order not to say something stupid. “How many people do you think we’ll invite to our wedding?” he then asked after a while and Isabelle shrugged.

“I don’t know,” she said. “Does it matter?”

“Alexander’s got a point,” said Magnus after a while and gave Alec an encouraging smile as he scooted closer to him. “I mean, the place looks amazing, but we kind of planned a smaller wedding. We don’t want to invite a lot of people, just family and friends so that it’ll be a bit more special,” said Magnus and Isabelle slowly nodded, because she knew that she should’ve had expected something like that.

“We understand,” said Clary happily and smiled when she saw little Max coming closer.

The boy was busy playing with his toys while the adults were talking about the wedding. However, he got distracted when he heard Papa saying that the wedding was going to be small and for family only. That kind of made him sad, because he really wished that he could invite Wendy and her family as well. During the past few weeks, the two families got quite close to each other, thanks to Max and Wendy, so it would really make Max sad if Wendy couldn’t come to the wedding. The boy then stepped to Alec and gently tugged onto his sleeve.

“Hey, what’s up, Max? Do you have anything to say about where we should get married?” asked Alec happily and Max just shook his head.

“No,” said the boy and shook his head. “Can I ask something?”

“Of course, go ahead,” said Magnus softly and gave Max a little smile.

“Will Wendy be able to come to the wedding as well?” asked Max and placed his little palms together behind his back and shifted from one leg to the other one. “Papa said that it’ll be a small wedding, but I want Wendy to come too. She is my best friend, so she’ll be able to come? Pretty please?” asked Max and Alec chuckled softly.

“Of course,” said Alec and nodded. “We wouldn’t want it any other way, isn’t that right Magnus?”

“Yeah,” said the older male and gently ruffled the boy’s hair.

“Really?” asked Max happily and happily clapped with his little palms. “She’s gonna be so happy,” he then added and sighed happily. He giggled, happy with the answer that he got and he then climbed onto the sofa as well, wanting to hear what aunt Izzy’s and aunt Clary’s plans for the wedding were.

* * *

 

“Oh, all of this planning is going to drive me insane,” whined Alec when they were finally alone in the apartment and little Max started laughing when he saw his daddy throwing himself onto the sofa, burying his face into the pillow. Alec then squeezed the pillow against his chest and muttered something, which Max couldn’t make out what it was, but the smile on his face remained and he slowly climbed onto sofa, sitting on top of Alec and the young man started silently laughing when Max straddled his back. He looked around over his shoulder and arched an eyebrow. “What do you think, Max?”

“I think that the wedding’s gonna be so much fun, daddy,” said Max happily and gently tugged onto his dad’s sweater, happily giggling when he saw Magnus coming from the kitchen and a smile tugged at the older one’s lips when he saw Alec sprawled on the couch like that. He could tell that he was tired, but Max didn’t let that stop him from having fun as he started jumping up and down as he was still sitting on Alec’s back. Alec let out a small moan of discomfort, but then burst into laughter when he heard Max’s next words. “Giddy up, horsey,” chanted Max happily and waited for his dad to stand up. However, the boy frowned when Alec didn’t go onto the floor like usually and he pouted. “Daddy,” whined the boy. “I wanna play.”

“Horsey is tired,” moaned Alec and buried his face back into the pillow. He arched an eyebrow when Magnus laughed softly and he then pointed to the man, who was standing next to the sofa, observing the two of them. “Max go to Magnus, he looks much more rested. I’m sure he’d _love_ to play horsey with you,” he then muttered and smirked when Magnus quickly mouthed him a ‘no’, before Max could look at him.

“Really?!” asked Max happily and turned to Magnus, who automatically took a step back and sent the boy a weak smile. That was the first for the boy, because it was Alec usually the one who he’d play that game with. Excited, he signed Papa to come closer and Magnus couldn’t really say no. Now, Magnus loved playing with Max, all games except for that one. Max could get a bit too into the game and it was somehow much more entertaining to watch Alec and Max playing it than to actually play it himself. “Come, Papa, you’ll be the horsey today,” said Max happily and clapped with his little palms. “Daddy’s too tired, but you can still play, right daddy?”

“Sure,” said Alec and waggled his eyebrows as he kept looking at Magnus. The older one just nodded and gave in, too easily, but he couldn’t really help himself. He slowly got closer to the sofa and went onto he knees, so that he was closer to Max, who was still sitting on top of Alec and Max then gently patted Alec’s head.

“Daddy, you can go first,” said the little boy next. “You can ride Papa first.”

Alec’s eyes widened at Max’s words and he barely restrained himself from bursting into a coughing fit. He managed to control himself a bit, but his face still flushed into deep shades of red and his heart hammered against his ribcage when he heard Magnus humming with amusement. Apart from Alec, Magnus remained calm, but his smirk widened just a little bit when he saw Alec’s reaction and the younger one quickly started shaking his head, a disappointed look coming upon Max’s face.

“Why not, daddy? You’re no fun,” said Max and looked down, because he really wanted to play with both of the men.

“Oh don’t hold it against him, Max,” said Magnus softly and placed a hand on top of Max’s head and he gently ruffled his hair. “He’s just too tired. Isn’t that right, Alec?” asked Magnus and the corners of his lips curled up, forming a much wider smirk. Besides, Alec had his chance of the fun ride with Magnus. _Last night._

“Yeah, Magnus’ right,” stammered Alec and looked away, because he knew that Magnus’ perverted mind must’ve already started working. Max continued to sulk for a few moments, but in the end he decided to let it go and started playing with Magnus alone, his loud giggling and Magnus’ laughing filling the apartment. Alec’s smile grew as he was listening to the other two, but his peace was quickly disturbed when his phone started ringing, straightening himself up when he saw that he had an incoming call from Clary. Usually, he wouldn’t make a big deal about it, but ever since he started thinking seriously about completely changing his career, that changed. To have some peace and quiet, he stepped into the bedroom and closed the door, answering the phone call.

“Hello,” said Alec politely and sat down onto the edge of the bed, feeling how his palms had gotten all sweaty all of the sudden and he cleared his throat.

It’s been more than a month that he had lost his job and he decided to listen to Magnus’ advice and got a part time job at a nearby café. He didn’t particularly like his job, because he had to deal with idiotic customers most of the time, but at least he had something to do. Because he wasn’t employed full time, he spent the rest of his free time on what he loved; writing and drawing. His skills were a bit rusty, but after a month or so, he managed to write a decent fairy tale and drew some illustrations to go with the story. It wasn’t anything big, but he was still proud of it and after a lot of thinking, he finally gathered up enough courage to ask Clary if Luke would take a look at his story and the sketches. Alec knew that he had to be realistic about it; he would probably get rejected, but he was feeling lucky enough that Luke agreed to take a look at them. And something was telling him that Clary was calling him to tell him Luke’s feedback.

“Hello, Alec,” said the voice from the other side of the phone call. The other one sounded cheerful, so maybe she had some good news to tell him. That made Alec feel a bit better as he straightened himself up. “How’s it going? Everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Alec and nodded to himself, even though he was alone in the room and he then chewed on his lower lip. “So what’s up, did something happen? It’s rare for you to call me,” he then went on by saying, because he didn’t know how to start the conversation. Also, he could just straight up ask her if she was calling him to tell him some news; that would be kind of rude.

“Right,” said the voice from the other side of the phone call and Alec could sense that his friend had gotten a bit more serious and professional all of the sudden. Not knowing how to take that, he just waited patiently in silence. “I’m actually calling you to talk to you about those sketches and the story that you gave to me last week,” said the redhead and Alec could feel his heart hammering against his ribcage. Before then, he didn’t even know how much it meant to him, but now he was wishing with all his heart that Clary had some good news for him. “Luke had already taken went through them,” she said.

“A-and?” stammered the man, digging his fingers into his thighs.

“Well,” started Clary and took in a deep breath.  “He was impressed by the sketches that you sent,” she said and Alec closed his eyes as he felt a smile coming upon his face. “He said that the story needs a bit of editing, but he was impressed with that as well. I told him that you don’t have an editor, but he said that he’s prepared to send your story to an editor himself. Luke knows some pretty amazing people, so if you’re up for it, he can-”

“Yes,” blurted out Alec, interrupting Clary and he quickly got up onto his legs, still not really believing what he heard. He was very well aware of the fact that he needed an editor, but to hear that Alec’s stepfather was prepared to send the story to one himself made him speechless. He bit into his lower lip and smiled when he heard Clary laughing on the other side of the phone call. His breathing was laboured and he knew that he needed to come up with professional and calm reply. “W-what I meant was; yes, I’m up for it. I-I mean,” he started and made a short pause. “I want to thank you Clary and Luke. I need to call him myself and thank him in person. I mean this is fantastic, never have I thought that someone would like something that I _wrote_ , I mean-”

“Calm down, Alec,” said Clary and even though Alec didn’t see her, he knew that she was smiling. As she said that, Alec stopped talking because he knew that he was just saying nonsense, too excited to shut up and the redhead chuckled. “I’m happy for you and I must say, I read the story as well and even though it’s meant for kids, I really liked it. I had no ideas that you could write _and_ draw.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not just me,” said Alec and let out an awkward laugh. “I mean, Max helped as well, so don’t give me all the credit,” he then added and chuckled, gripping his phone and he grinned when he noticed that the door of the room was opened, Magnus and Max eavesdropping on his conversation. Alec rolled his eyes, but signed the two to step inside.

“Who’s on the phone, daddy?” asked Max when he heard Alec mentioning his name and he cocked his head to the side when Magnus picked him up and carried the boy to the bed, sitting down next to his fiancé with Max in his arms.

“Clary,” replied Alec.

“What did she say about me?” asked the boy, wanting to know what they were talking about and Magnus chuckled at the boy’s curiosity.

“You know that story that I wrote and drew some pictures as well?” asked Alec and Max nodded, of course he remembered. He helped Alec write the story and he was beyond excited when daddy told him that he was planning on writing a book. Daddy was going to become a famous writer and Max was happy that he was a part of it. “Well, she just told me that the story was very well and I told her that you helped me out as well.”

Max beamed proudly at daddy and Papa, giggling happily when Alec gave him his phone as Clary wished to speak with Max as well. As the two of them were busy chatting, Magnus scooted closer to Alec, wanting to know exactly what Clary had said to him. The younger one looked happy, so she must’ve had some good news about the whole thing. “So, what did she say?” asked Magnus after a while and his heart skipped a jump when Alec gave him one of his warmest smiles.

“She said that they really liked the story,” said Alec happily and sighed happily. “Luke said that he’d even send it to an editor himself,” he then added and chewed on his lower lip, warmth and happiness exploding in his chest. “I can’t believe it, this is actually happening,” muttered Alec and placed his hands together in his lap.

“Well, I can,” said Magnus and grinned. “You’re more talented than you think and I’m really happy that someone finally noticed that,” he went on by saying, genuinely happy to see his lover being so happy. After that horrendous job, he was glad that Alec was finally doing something that he liked, even though he didn’t enjoy being a waiter that much. But the part time job was only temporary thing and both of them knew that. Besides, Alec didn’t mind doing it that much; he felt much more free than he did before.

“You do realise that none of this would happen without you, right?” asked Alec and gave Magnus a serious look. Magnus looked down and shrugged. Sure, he helped, but in his opinion he didn’t do much. He just gave Alec his advice and it was the other one who decided to follow it. “I mean, if you wouldn’t encourage me, then it would never happen,” he then muttered and happily rested his head on top of Magnus’ shoulder, looking up after a while and his eyes widened when he saw Magnus lost in thought.

“You’re complimenting me far too much, angel,” whispered Magnus, but the corners of his lips curled up and he chuckled. “But, I’ll take it. After all, I’m amazing, isn’t that right?” asked Magnus and Alec nodded, remembering his words from when he had only gotten to know Magnus. But, his opinion didn’t change. Magnus really was an amazing person.

“I still think so,” whispered Alec.

“Daddy, daddy,” suddenly said Max, who apparently stopped talking with Izzy and he happily skipped over to the bed, having some great news to tell his two dads. “Clary said that aunt Izzy will come tomorrow,” said Max happily and Alec arched an eyebrow.

“Why?” he asked carefully.

“She’s gonna take us shopping for your wedding suit, daddy,” said Alec happily and Magnus laughed when he saw how all of the colour drained from Alec’s face and he quickly hid himself under the bedcovers. Max giggled and then lifted the bedcovers, his high pitched laughter filling the room when Alec pulled him under and started tickling him. With a smile, Magnus lifted up the bedcovers and shook his head, but only laughed as the other two ‘attacked’ him by tickling.

* * *

 

“So, that’s all of the people?” asked Alec. He and Magnus were currently on the sofa, Alec leaned back against the sofa, while Magnus was sitting in his lap, the younger one’s arms wrapped around his waist, his chin resting on top of Magnus’ shoulder as the older one leaned back against Alec’s strong body frame when he was asked the question. He and Alec were currently in the middle of planning the wedding, currently going over the guest list. Just like they said; there weren’t too many people on it, just the ones closest to them.

“This should be all of them, yes,” said Magnus and moved his head, so that Alec could have a better look at the list and Magnus closed his eyes when he heard Alec muttering out the names above his ear, placing a hand over Alec’s arms that were squeezing him tightly to himself.

 _Izzy, Jace, Clary, Simon, Alec’s parents, Clary’s and Simon’s parents, Magnus’ parents and family, Ragnor, Catarina, Tessa…_ at the list went on and on, Alec quickly skimming through it. At first he didn’t think that it was going to be that many people, but now that he actually saw it, it wasn’t that little anymore and he let out a happy sigh. His hold around Magnus’ waist tightened a little bit and he then froze just a bit when he came to the end of the list.

_Camille._

“Are you sure, Magnus?” asked Alec carefully and Magnus lazily opened his eyes, looking up at his lover, sending him a confusing look.

“About what, Alexander?” asked Magnus.

“About inviting Camille to our wedding,” muttered Alec and he pressed his lips together. Alec didn’t really mind if she’d come; he had absolutely nothing against her, even though she caused Magnus pain in the past. He could tell that she changed, but he kind of thought that Magnus still wasn’t over that, so he was utterly speechless when he saw her name written on the paper. “I don’t mind if she comes, but are you really sure about it?”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” said Magnus slowly and frowned as he kept looking at the name and he then just shrugged. “I saw her yesterday and we somehow started chatting a little bit. For the first time since our break up we managed to have a normal conversation. I told her that we’re getting married, so I kind of asked if she’d like to come as well,” went on by saying the older one and shrugged. “I mean if you don’t mind then it’s okay, right?” he then went on by saying and he made a short pause. “I know that I’ve bad-mouthed her up until now, but she’s actually a good person. I just needed a bit longer to see good in her again, I suppose.”

“Good,” said Alec and smiled widely. “I’m glad you two are finally getting along.”

Magnus hummed back in response and nodded. He then picked up another paper from the coffee table and turned it around, so that he could have a better look at it and a smile tugged at his lips. It was an actual wedding invitation and he heard Alec chuckling above him when he saw the invitation. It was cute, filled with pretty colours and butterflies; Max’s masterpiece. Because he was so eager to help, they gave him the part of designing the invitations.

“He’s done such a great job, don’t you think?” asked Magnus and gently touched the paper.

“Of course,” said Alec and pressed a kiss against Magnus’ nape. “Just think about it, a little less than a month from now, we’re gonna be married,” whispered Alec against Magnus’ ear, sending shivers up the other’s ear and Magnus nodded, turning around, so that he could give the other one a proper kiss.

Magnus too couldn’t believe it. It seemed like it was yesterday that they’ve met, but it was more than a year since then. He chewed on his lower lip as he started thinking about their wedding day, kissing Alec once again, the kiss lasting slightly longer and he then let out a small sigh. “I love you, Alexander,” he muttered and Alec grinned.

“’Love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the support so far :) I really appreciate it ^^
> 
> And as always, comments & opinions are well appreciated ^^


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wedding day ^^

**The wedding day**

Magnus was in a dressing room and was currently looking himself in the mirror. He was dressed in a burgundy colour suit, with a white shirt underneath and a black tie, his hair spiked up and was currently applying eyeshadow, feeling more nervous than ever. When he was done with applying the makeup, he took a step back and straightened his clothes a little bit and tried smiling, but his smile faltered just a little bit due to his nervousness. Inside, he was dying from happiness, because it was finally their wedding day, yet he felt like crap. Reason for that? His stupid family. Many of his friends came to his wedding and while Magnus was beyond happy to see them, he still felt like dying deep inside. His parents and siblings wouldn’t even come to his wedding.

Magnus clenched his jaw and shook his head; Alec was right, he shouldn’t be thinking about that. Instead of that, he should be thinking how the day was going to be filled with happy memories. Little Max, who was going to be their ring bearer, was going to look adorable in his little blue suit and Magnus beamed at that, his bad mood disappearing just a little bit as he let out a nervous sigh. He somehow wished that he wasn’t alone. It was kind of stupid that he couldn’t see Alec before the wedding, but Izzy insisted on the stupid tradition of not seeing each other before the actual ceremony. The man dug his sweaty palms into his trousers and pressed his lips together.

Then, the door suddenly opened and weight lifted off of his chest when he saw Ragnor standing at the door, signing him to come closer. His best friend was going to be his best man as well and he gave him a weak smile as the older one kept looking up and down. Magnus noticed pride in the other’s eyes and he rubbed his palms together. “What do you think? Do I look okay?” asked Magnus and almost laughed when Ragnor nodded.

“Yes, my friend, I must admit it that today you look even better than me,” joked Ragnor and then closed the door, stepping closer to his friend. “The ceremony is going to be beautiful. Isabelle Lightwood and Clary Fairchild really did go all out, didn’t they?” asked Ragnor and Magnus nodded with a smile on his face, because Ragnor was right. Magnus had seen the place earlier and it looked even more beautiful than he first imagined. “In an hour from now, you’re gonna be a married man,” said Ragnor then and Magnus arched an eyebrow. “I’m glad that I get to be a part from it,” he then mumbled and Magnus rolled his eyes when he saw his friend getting sentimental again. That was happening a lot lately and Magnus didn’t know what to make of it.

“Well of course, you’re my best friend after all,” said Magnus and then his smile disappeared as he was about to ask Ragnor something more serious. “Hey, Ragnor?” asked Magnus and the older one looked at him, seeing that his friend had gotten somehow nervous. Ragnor nodded, thinking that Magnus needed a pep talk before the wedding, but the other’s question caught him completely off guard. “Did my parents come, by any chance? Or any of my family?” asked Magnus with a small voice and even though Ragnor didn’t give him a reply, his silence was enough to let him know that none of them showed up. “Oh.”

“No, no, don’t think like that, Magnus,” said Ragnor, trying to be positive. He knew that Magnus didn’t have good relationship with his parents, but in his opinion it was extremely rude of them not to come to his wedding. He was still their son, for God’s sake! “There’s still an hour from the actual ceremony, so maybe they’ll-”

“Don’t,” mouthed Magnus and shook his head. They weren’t going to show up; he tried calling them the past few weeks, but he didn’t get any response. He managed to have a little talk with his brother, but as soon as he mentioned the wedding, the other tried avoiding the question. But still, in the end he promised he’d come. Magnus should’ve known better than to get his hopes up. “I don’t need any false hope, their message was clear and received. They really don’t give a crap about me. It’s pathetic of me that I still hoped they’d show up,” whispered Magnus and looked down, his eyes burning as he had to force himself not to give in into his emotions. They weren’t worth his tears or worries.

“Magnus, I’m really sorry that-”

“No, it’s completely fine,” said Magnus and faked a smile.

“It’s not, you’re not okay with it even though you’re insisting that you are,” whispered Ragnor and Magnus felt his heart falling to the pit of his stomach when he heard his friend’s words. Ragnor was right, but what should he do? He kind of had a feeling that he was complaining about his family more and more lately and he didn’t want to bother Alec with them anymore. In the end, Magnus just shrugged and allowed himself to be pulled into a short, but tight hug. A smile reappeared on his face when Ragnor broke their hug and gently patted his back, sighing when he saw tears in Magnus’ eyes. “Should I go get Alec?”

“No need to,” said Magnus and quickly shook his head, rubbing his palms together, taking in a deep breath. “We’ll talk about it later, but not now. Now,” he said and a smile spread across his face when Alec’s face flashed in front of his eyes and his heart melted. “First I’ll get married.”

“That’s the spirit,” said Ragnor and took a step back. “So,” he then went on by saying, trying to start up a new conversation. “Camille’s here as well. Did you invite her?”

“Yeah I did,” said Magnus. “I know that it might be strange, but we’re on much better terms now.”

“I’m glad about that,” said Ragnor and chuckled. Just as he was about to say something else, there was a knock at the door and Magnus’ eyes widened when Camille stepped inside of the dressing room, looking rather out of the place. Seeing that she wanted to speak with Magnus alone, Ragnor quickly made an excuse to leave the room and an awkward silence fell between Camille and Magnus as they were left alone in the room.

“Well,” started Magnus, breaking the silence and then cleared his throat. “I’m glad that you decided to come,” he then said and gave her a warm smile, the corners of her lips curling up into a smile as well. But while Magnus’ smile was happy, hers wasn’t so much. Instead, there could be found deep sadness in it and Magnus fell kind of bad for her, because he knew what she was thinking.

“Of course, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’m happy that you invited me,” muttered Camille and brought her hands together. Magnus bit into his lower lip and let out a small sigh. “You know what? I’m kind of glad that it didn’t work out between the two of us. You were never this happy when you were with me. I mean, I know that it was me who messed up, I was too selfish to realise this sooner,” said Camille with a heavy heart. “And even though it makes me sad, I’m happy for you,” she then added and looked down. “I mean it.”

“Don’t say that. We were happy, while it lasted,” said Magnus and shrugged. Camille looked up at him and smiled through her tears. “And even though it didn’t work out between us, I’m glad that we remained in contact, because you’re still special to me.”

“Yeah,” breathed out Camille and stepped close to Magnus, gently tapping Magnus’ shoulder as an encouragement. “Well then, go get him tiger,” she then added and smiled when Magnus snorted at her lame pep talk. “Now then, I think that I should go,” said the woman after a few moments or so, but just as she was about to turn around, Magnus stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a hug.

“What was that for?” asked Camille and laughed when they broke their hug.

“Sorry, I’m not really myself today,” muttered Magnus, because he had been hugging a lot today. Camille nodded and then gave him one final smile before leaving Magnus alone in the dressing room, who was feeling a lot better than before.

* * *

 

While Magnus was in the middle of his panic attack, Alec was walking around in circles of his own dressing room, driving Jace insane with that. Jace understood that his brother was nervous, he really did because he had gotten through that once before, but he just wished that Alec would calm down a little bit. His nervousness was making the blonde one nervous as well and he just rolled his eyes as Alec stepped in front of the mirror for the thousandth time and sighed. Jace glanced at Alec, who was now fixing his tie and groaned.

Alec only clicked with his tongue when he noticed that Jace appeared to have something to say to him and then went back to looking himself in the mirror, not really sure if he liked what he saw. He was wearing a dark grey suit, which Izzy picked out for him and while he agreed that that looked good on him, he wasn’t so sure about his tie. It was burgundy colour and even though Izzy said that it would complement Magnus’ suit, he just couldn’t help himself but to think that it was a bit too much. If he was picking out the colour for his tie, he’d pick a black one, which would probably look a lot better. Frustrated, Alec tugged onto his tie and chewed on his lower lip.

“Do you think that the tie’s too much?” asked Alec and looked at the blonde, who was now really close to losing all of his patience and Jace really had to restrain himself from going there and giving Alec a smack or two, just to bring him back to reality. “I mean, wouldn’t it look better if it was black? This is just a bit too… odd for me. Don’t you think?”

“It’s _fine_ , Alec,” hissed Jace and straightened himself up in his chair and folded his arms on top of his chest. “Besides, why are you complaining to me about it? Didn’t Izzy pick out the colour for it? She’s the expert, not me, so if she said that it’d go fine with it, then it’s okay. Stop thinking too much about it, you look fine.”

“Only _fine_?” asked Alec horrified and his eyes went back to the mirror.

“For the love of God,” muttered Jace, who had it enough. He didn’t know how to tell his brother that he looked completely fine, so he decided that it would be for the best that he would get someone else in the room as well; Isabelle. Without saying anything, Jace quickly disappeared from the room, but returned quite soon with Isabelle, who looked a bit confused at first, but her facial expression softened up when she saw how nervous Alec looked and he let out a small sigh.

“Jace says that you’re having some troubles?” asked Isabelle and her heart skipped a beat when Alec turned around. When Izzy saw him in his suit, she beamed with joy and pride. “Alec?” she then asked and Alec just shook his head.

“The tie,” said Alec and pointed to his tie, but then stopped talking, because he knew that it wasn’t about the tie really. He was just nervous about the wedding and even though he was beyond happy, he was afraid that he’d might fuck up something at his own wedding. He placed his hands together and then just shook his head. “I’m just nervous,” he then said after a while and Isabelle just nodded, because that was understandable.

“I get that, but you shouldn’t worry about it too much. In fact, Magnus is just as nervous as you are,” said Isabelle and chuckled. “It’s kind of adorable if you think about it,” she then went on by saying and Alec perked up when he heard that. So, he wasn’t the only one who didn’t have his shit together? Knowing that Magnus was nervous as well made him kind of relieved as well and he wanted to see him. “But don’t worry, everything will go smooth, I’ll make sure of that.”

“Yeah,” said Alec after a while and finally stopped complaining, because he knew that Isabelle was right; it was pointless to worry. The ceremony was going to be perfect and he was thankful to both Isabelle and Clary, because they did such an amazing job with everything. Without saying anything, Alec just stepped closer to his sister and gave her a little hug, making her giggle and he then straightened his clothes when he broke their hug. “Thank you, Izzy, for everything.”

“Don’t mention it,” said the girl and shrugged. As she was about to say something else, there was a knock at the door and Alec smiled when his parents and Max stepped into the room. Max was dressed in his little blue suit and was adorable as ever, the smile on his face enough to melt away all of the ice in the world.

When Max saw his daddy, his eyes widened and he clapped with his little palms together. He had just visited Magnus’ room and just as Papa, daddy was looking handsome as well, leaving little Max completely speechless for a little while. As some time passed, the little boy ran up to the male and gently tugged onto his suit, Alec leaning down and he placed a hand onto Max’s hand, gently ruffling his hair as Max giggled. The smile on Max’s face was enough to put Alec’s worries to rest and he just smiled when Max started speaking.

“You’re so handsome, daddy,” said Max happily and then made a short pause. “Papa’s very handsome as well,” went on by saying the little boy and a smile tugged at Alec’s lips.

“I bet he is,” said Alec and waggled his eyebrows. “Now then, are you prepared to carry our rings?” asked Alec, kind of concerned if Max would be able to do it, since he didn’t like being in the centre of attention. Usually, Max would be pretty nervous, but now he couldn’t find any signs of nervousness on his son’s face.

“Yes, I’m ready, daddy,” said Max and proudly patted himself onto the chest. He felt responsible, because he knew that carrying rings at the wedding was a big deal and he wanted to do a good job. Normally, he’d be nervous, but now he wasn’t at all. In fact, he was excited that he was the ring bearer and he didn’t want it any other way. “Don’t worry, leave it all to me,” he then went on by saying and Alec chuckled. “I’m a young man, remember?” he then asked, because that was what Magnus liked to call him and it stuck with Max.

“That’s correct,” said Alec happily and pressed a kiss on top of Max’s forehead before straightening himself up and he took in a deep breath when Isabelle announced that it was only ten minutes from the ceremony.

* * *

 

**The ceremony**

As the ceremony finally started, Ragnor and Jace were already standing at the end of the aisle, next to the minister and all of the people were patiently waiting for Magnus and Alec to come. While Ragnor wore a small smile on his face, Jace couldn’t hide his wide smile and as he glanced at Clary, she only winked at him and he couldn’t help but to chuckle. He then glanced at Izzy and Simon, who were sitting among the crowd as well and both of them were smiling. Robert looked fairly collected, while Maryse was visibly a mess. She couldn’t hide her happiness and he pressed a hand over her mouth when the music finally started, tearing up just at the thought that her little boy was finally getting married to the person of his dreams.

It was Alec, whose turn was first to walk down the aisle and he allowed himself a few moments, to take much needed breaths in and he closed his eyes. For a little moment, he forgot about all the people in the room and the only thing that he was hearing was the loud thumping of his racing heart, but when he opened his eyes again, his eyes widened when he saw a room packed with people and he pressed his hands together, before straightening himself up and he smiled, his heart almost bursting from happiness as he walked down the aisle. He was walking slow, taking his time to look around and he chuckled when he noticed that Izzy and his mom were crying. As he looked onto the other side, he noticed that the chairs where Magnus’ family was supposed to sit weren’t empty anymore and with a racing heart, he finally stopped next to Jace, who gave him a pat onto the back. Alec nodded to him and then turned around, waiting for Magnus to come to the room as well.

Alec stopped breathing for a few moments when he saw Magnus stepping into the room; feeling too choked up from all of the emotions that he was feeling. The older one looked as gorgeous as ever, Magnus finding himself unable to look away from Alec. He was so used to seeing him in his oversized sweaters and it was really refreshing to see him in a suit for a change. Magnus then took in a deep breath and he could feel people’s eyes on him. But, he didn’t look at the crowd; he didn’t want to be reminded of the fact that his parents didn’t come. Instead, he kept his eyes focused on Alec as he walked down the aisle and the younger one felt his face heating up when he saw Magnus’ intense stare. Magnus allowed himself to look at Ragnor, who was now holding back his tears as well and he let out a hitched breath when he was finally standing next to Alec and he bit into his lower lip when Alec took his hand into his own.

 “Wow,” whispered Magnus, his cheeks already hurting from smiling so much and he dragged his tongue over his lower lip as his eyes were travelling up and down Alec, whose body heated up as Magnus was staring so bluntly in front of everyone and the moment was interrupted as the minister cleared his throat, making everyone in there laugh.

Next, it was Max’s turn to enter the room and the little boy held Wendy’ hand with his one hand and the small pillow with the two beautiful rings in his other one. It was the boy’s idea to have the girl walk down the aisle with him and since her parents didn’t mind, Magnus and Alec decided on doing that; it was a precious sight to behold anyway. Alec felt Magnus squeezing his hand a little bit as Max walked with their rings and as he glanced at the other one, he could tell that the other one was smiling through his tears. At that exact moment, Magnus was happier than ever. Max’s little heart was beating fast with excitement and he barely restrained himself from just running up to his dads, but he managed to walk down the aisle calmly, gripping tightly onto Wendy’s hand. As the music that was playing in the background finally stopped, the ceremony finally began.

As some time passed, the time for exchanging the vows and rings came, Magnus’ excitement rising and as he glanced at Max, he saw that he was just as excited as he was, barely holding back his giggles. Magnus then turned to Alec, who gently tugged onto his hand, making the older one chuckle and he pressed his lips together as he looked up. Alec’s heart was hammering against his ribcage when the minister said that it was time for the vows and even though most of the things were pretty traditional about the wedding, they decided to write their own vows and exchange them at the wedding. Alec had everything written down and memorised, but his mind went completely blank and he couldn’t think straight, remembering those lines became kind of impossible.

“Magnus,” stammered Alec and Magnus gave him an encouraging smile, not daring to look anywhere else but at his adorable lover, his husband to be, and he just let out a hitched breath as Alec pulled him a bit closer. “You, uh, you have been always there for me, up until now,” he stammered and Jace frowned, because these weren’t the lines that he helped Alec to write. “You have made me a better person and made our lives, mine and Max’s, so much more colourful and happier. I love you and you make me happier than I could ever imagine and more loved than I ever thought possible. I’m truly blessed to have you as a part of my life and I, um, I promise to love and cherish you,” went on by saying Alec, feeling his face heat up because it wasn’t like him to say such embarrassing words, even though he meant every part of it. Magnus beamed up at him and he nodded, feeling speechless and he chewed on his lower lip. “Forever,” then Alec blurted out, making the people there laugh again and Magnus just shook his head.

“You’re adorable, my Alexander,” whispered Magnus and then straightened himself up when it was his turn to talk, this time daring to look around the room. He could see Maryse sobbing, Robert’s eyes wet with tears by then as well, smiling when he looked at the others and with a corner of his eyes he saw someone that he never thought he’d be able to see at his own wedding. As he turned, he could see that the chairs, which were reserved for his family, were no longer empty and his eyes widened when he saw his mother, father, his two sisters and his brother sitting there. He quickly looked away, gazing back up at Alec’s eyes and he felt his throat tightening as he was struggling to say something. But nothing came out and he blinked a few times, his eyes travelling back to his family. Magnus was a mess; he didn’t know what to do with himself really. He had mentally prepared himself that his family wasn’t going to be there, but now that they came all of that came crumbling apart and he was just standing there, staring at them. “I, uh, I can’t breathe,” he started, but his voice trailed off. When a warm smile cracked his mother’s serious expression, was when it all came crushing down to Magnus and he hid his face into his palms, letting out a muffled sob.

“Magnus?” asked Alec, knowing what the matter with Magnus was and he quickly pulled him into a tight hug. It took Magnus a while to calm down and as he did, he broke the hug and started wiping his tears away, knowing that his perfect makeup was probably ruined. So much for looking his best for the wedding; he was a hot mess and he knew that. But he couldn’t help himself; he had never expected to see them there and even though he convinced himself that he was okay with that, deep inside he wasn’t. So, he was beyond happy to see them there, it meant the world to him.

“I’m sorry, I’m ruining things,” muttered Magnus and shook his head. “My parents… they just caught me off guard and-”

“You don’t have to explain, I understand,” said Alec and gently wiped the tears from Magnus’ face as new ones appeared and he then placed a kiss on top of Magnus’ head. “Do you want some time to catch your breath? We can-”

“No, no, no, I’ll be alright,” said Magnus and even though tears were still rolling down his face, he was collected enough to continue. “So, where were we?” asked the older one and looked at the minister. “Oh right, the vows,” he then said and Alec chuckled, looking at Magnus’ family, who looked happy for Magnus. Alec was glad that they decided to come around and even though he was pissed with the way they treated the older one, all of that was forgotten when Magnus took his hand back into his and took in a deep breath. “Meeting you and Max,” he started and cleared his throat. “Before meeting you, I thought I’d never have a family of my own, but you and little Max over there,” said Magnus and looked at the boy, who waved to him, giggling happily when Papa mentioned his name. “My life has changed so much, in a good way. I love you so much and I promise to be there for you always, no matter what,” he then went on by saying and earned one of the warmest smiles from Alec.

“May I have the rings, please?” asked the minister and Max quickly perked up, standing up and he walked to his two dads, smiling when Alec gently ruffled his hair. “Alexander Lightwood, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?” asked the man and Alec glanced at Max, taking Magnus’ ring and slowly slipped it onto his finger.

“I do,” said Alec and smiled.

“And you, Magnus Bane, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“Yeah, I do,” whispered Magnus as he slipped a ring onto Alec’s ring, pulling Alec by his tie closer and kissed him gently as the minister pronounced them married, happy cheers and clapping filling the room, both of the men laughing softly as they parted. “Finally, huh?” muttered Magnus against Alec’s lips and earned another kiss from the younger one.

Magnus then picked up Max as he tugged onto his sleeve and held him in his arms as he and Alec walked down the aisle together, Max giggling happily when Alec took Magnus free hand and pulled him out of the room, dragging him out onto the terrace, where the latter celebrations were going to continue.

* * *

 

After everyone had settled in outside and the toasts were made, Magnus’ parents wished to speak with their son and Alec in private. Magnus was more than happy to hear that, because they very much needed that talk. Prior to that, his other siblings had already congratulated him on his marriage and even thought their interactions were a little bit awkward, Magnus could tell that the three of them were happy for him. However, it did make him sad to know that they didn’t have much to talk other than that; they didn’t really have any relationship whatsoever. So, he was quite happy when his mother and father wished to speak with him.

The four of them made their way down the stairs, so that other people wouldn’t disturb their conversation. Alec stood behind Magnus as the older one stepped closer to his parents, who were awkwardly looking at each other. Magnus’ mom was happy to be there, but Alec wasn’t so sure about Magnus’ father; he looked really out of place. However, that didn’t really seem to bother Magnus. The older one knew his father enough to know that weddings weren’t his thing, so he was quite pleasantly surprised with how good everything was going so far.

“So,” stammered Magnus, because his parents weren’t saying anything and made a short pause. “I’m really glad that you guys decided to show up. It made me very happy,” muttered Magnus and nervously chewed on his lower lip, because his mother kept looking towards the floor and Magnus’ heart fell to the pit of his stomach, thinking that his mother had it enough. “Well, um, this is Alec,” he then blurted out and pointed to his husband. _Husband_ , thought Magnus and smiled.

“Hello,” said Alec and extended his hand out, shaking his hands with both of Magnus’ parents and he then made a step back. “I’ve heard a lot about you, so I’m happy to finally meet you,” he then went on by saying awkwardly and looked at Magnus, who was now looking down as well, disappointed. So, the meeting didn’t go as he hoped it to go. Then again; should he really be so surprised?

“Well then,” said Magnus and rubbed his palms together. “I’m really glad we had this talk,” he said and frowned, but then shook his head. “We should go back, others are probably-”

“We’re so sorry,” suddenly said Magnus’ mother and only then looked up, Magnus seeing why she was avoiding making eye contact. Her cheeks were wet with tears and Magnus could see hurt and shame in his mother’s eyes. As he looked up, his father choked up as well, but quickly recovered. Yet, the hurt remained on his face and Magnus took a few seconds to actually understand what was going on; his parents were ashamed with how they acted towards him. It served them right, thought Magnus, but then quickly mentally kicked himself for thinking that way. “The way we acted towards you, ignored you like this. It’s not-” went on by saying the woman and then broke down in tears, Magnus quickly stepping to his mother and wrapped his arms around her, feeling tears in his eyes again and did nothing to stop them, sobbing loudly into his mother’s shoulder and Alec pressed his lips together as Magnus’ father, a stoic man, stepped closer to them and wrapped his arms around both of them.

“She’s right,” said Magnus’ father, his voice deep. “We-”

“Dad, shut up,” muttered Magnus and laughed, wiping his tears as he looked up. “Don’t ruin the moment, please,” he then added and made the man smile, Magnus’ mother laughing as well. Magnus knew that there needed a lot more talking to be done, if they wanted to fix their relationship, but at the moment it didn’t matter. It was a start and they could only go up from there. They stayed like that for a little while and in the end it was Magnus, who broke the family hug and chuckled when he heard Izzy calling for them, since it was time to cut the wedding cake.

“I think we should get going now for real,” muttered Alec and grinned when Magnus stepped closer to him. Alec’s eyes widened when Magnus’ father awkwardly patted his back and his mother gave him a gentle squeeze on the shoulder.

“Welcome to the family,” said the man and Alec nodded.

“Thank you, sir, it’s my pleasure,” replied Alec as all four of them walked back to the others.

As the day went on, everyone was having a great time, Magnus having fun with dragging Alec to the dance floor again and forcing him to dance with him. The dance wasn’t really forced, because Alec didn’t really mind it and both of them ended up dancing with little Max as well, who was the life of the party to be honest. He was so happy and excited to see his wish finally coming true that he decided to go all out and he didn’t hold back from partying at all.

After a while, Camille came to both of them and congratulated them on a beautiful and stunning wedding, wishing them both good luck in the future. Alec could see the way she was looking at Magnus; deep inside it was killing her to see him so happy with him, she still had feelings for him and probably regretted treating him that way. However, Alec could also see that she was genuinely happy and was happy to see that she was selfless enough to put her feelings aside for just one day and did something for a change that made Magnus happy.

It was somewhere in the middle of the party that Alec dragged Magnus from all of the others, because he wanted to have a private moment with his husband. He didn’t forget to take two glasses of champagne with him, wanting to make a toast to them and their bright future together. Magnus only smiled and chuckled as Alec dragged him away from the others and beamed up at the younger one once they stopped walking, gazing at the glasses in Alec’s hands, his eyes stopping on the other’s wedding ring and his heart shook as he lifted his hand as well and observed his own as well. This was real; miracles really did happen.

“What’s with the glasses, Alexander?” asked Magnus and took the glass when it was handed to him.

“I wanted to have a bit of a private moment, with just the two of us,” muttered Alec and Magnus nodded, knowing what he meant and he leaned a bit closer. They made their toast, emptied their glasses of champagne and Magnus laughed as Alec placed their glasses onto the floor, wrapping his arms around his waist and pulled him closer, kissing him gently. They shared a few more kisses and Magnus could only sigh as they parted.

“I’m so happy,” whispered Alec and leaned down, pressing their foreheads together. “Everything’s just so… perfect, I can’t believe it,” he then said and opened his eyes, smiling when he saw Magnus looking up at him. “I still can’t believe that we’re actually married now. Fuck.”

His last words made Magnus burst into a loud laughter and he just shook his head. “Same, I’m so, so happy, Alexander,” he said when he stopped laughing. “Everything about today was perfect. Isabelle and Clary did such a lovely job with the wedding. All of our friends and family were there… even mine. I’m so happy that they showed up,” muttered Magnus. “It feels like a dream. I still don’t know what I did to deserve such happiness.”

“Likewise,” whispered Alec and shrugged, kissing Magnus again.

“You know, in the past, I was afraid of what the future might bring,” said Magnus suddenly and took a step back, taking Alec’s hand into his own and gently touched his ring. “But not anymore,” he then went on by saying and looked up again. “With you and Max with me, I’m ready to take on any of the challenges that life might’ve bring across our way.”

Alec didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. He knew exactly what Magnus meant; he felt stronger than ever with Magnus with him like that and was excited to see what the future would bring. Then, Magnus suddenly tugged onto his hand and started running, running back to other people and Alec just laughed out loud as he started running as well, happiness and warmth filling his chest when he saw Max running towards them.

Two men, who were no strangers to pain and loneliness in the past, were brought together and learned how to love each other, gradually forgetting about the pain that they both experienced in the past. Their world used to be colourless, but after stepping into each other’s lives, little by little, their world started to colour itself, and was full of colours now. They finally learned how to colour their lives with the whole box of crayons, not just one.

Their hearts were full of wonder and excitement, ready to take on the world.

_Together._

**The end**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, um, yeah... that's it. That's the last chapter (I'm planning to write a very short epilogue, like a quick glimpse into their lives after a few years), so yeah. I'm... quite emotional to be honest and kind of want to cry after writing this chapter. It was quite longer than usual, but that was very much needed in my opinion.
> 
> I want to thank to all of you who who read, commented, left kudos and supported this story (in general), because it means so much to me. I know that I've said this so many times, but I'm so moved to see how many people liked the story. I'm thankful to all of you, you're the best <3
> 
> That's all, I guess... I don't know, I'm kind of a mess to be honest at the moment xD.  
> Like always, comments and opinions are well appreciated.  
> I hope that you enjoyed reading this as much as I loved writing it ^-^


	31. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised the epilogue and, thus, the last chapter is here ^^. It's pretty short, but I hope you're all going to enjoy it as much as I did writing it :)

**5 years later**

It was a lazy Sunday morning and Magnus was awakened by the sound of a loud laughter, which was coming from the living room. The man rolled his eyes when he glanced at the clock, it was only 8 am and since he was a person that loved sleeping in on the weekends, he was quite annoyed to be awakened so early. Sighing, Magnus hid his face under the pillow and rolled his eyes, because that wasn't helping at all. Annoyed that he was the only one awake, Magnus looked to his left and noticed that his husband, Alec, was still asleep. It amazed the older one, Alec could sleep through it all and he just shook his head. Then again, Alec was working late into the night the previous night, because he was working on a new book and the man beamed as he looked up onto one of the shelves which was filled with Alec's works.

During the last five years, Alec was able to peruse his dream and after releasing his first children's book, he kind of took off from there and was working on his tenth one already. Alec was quite popular among the younger generations, but he didn't allow that to get into his head. He was still working at that cafe, because he got kind of attached to it and it seemed adorable to Magnus. Magnus, himself, was still working at that exact preschool as a teacher and he didn't want to change a thing about his life; he loved teaching and he loved being married to Alec. He was a proud father of two boys, who were his pride and joy.

After the wedding, he and Alec adopted another boy, Rafael. He was two years older than Max. They adopted him when he was 9 and it didn't take too long that he and Max became best friends. Little Max was excited to finally have an older brother and Magus smiled a little bit. In the span of four years, the two of them became inseparable. While Max was still the shy and quiet boy, Rafael was quite the opposite. He was usually the loudest one and said what was on his mind. But, he was a good kid and just like Max, Magnus loved him with all his heart.

His relationship with his family had also changed for the better after the wedding. Magnus’ parents welcomed both of the boys into their family without any difficulties and were also overjoyed when they’d spend some time with their grandkids. Magnus’ relationship with his siblings had also changed, little by little they were starting to build a relationship, that wasn’t there before and were all getting along now.

With that on his mind, Magnus slowly started drifting back to sleep, but was awakened again when he heard a loud thump coming from the living room, which was followed by more yelling and he had it enough. It looked like the boys were messing around again and he quickly left the bedroom, to see what was going on.

Max and Rafael woke up earlier than usual that morning and decided to entertain themselves with playing with a ball around the apartment. It was true that Magnus and Alec didn't allow them to play with the ball in the living room, but since the two were still asleep, a little bit of fun wouldn't hurt anyone, would it? As they were playing, Rafael threw the ball a bit too hard and didn't quite aim at Max. That ended up with Magnus' precious vase being broken into pieces and Max just stared with his eyes wide open as Rafael was trying to take care of the mess. They both knew that they were in huge trouble and Rafael said something under his breath when he heard footsteps coming closer to the living room.

"Crap, Papa's coming," muttered Rafael when he glanced out and hurried to Max, grabbing his hand and sat onto the sofa, pulling his younger brother down with him and Max let out a loud yelp as he was  thrown onto the sofa. "Okay, look Max, Papa's gonna ask us what happened and you say you know nothing. Understood?"

"You want me to lie?" asked Max in disbelief. He might’ve grown up a bit, but he'd never lie to Magnus and he quickly shook his head.

"No, no, it wouldn't be lying. Just say you don't know what happened. Okay?"

"That sounds like lying to me, Rafe," said Max and Rafael rolled his eyes. He wanted to say something, but went quiet when Magnus entered the room and glanced at the boys.

The whole situation was suspicious to Magnus when he stepped into the living room. The boys were sitting on the sofa silently and he arched an eyebrow, walking to the two of them. "Okay, spill it. What happened?" said Magnus and folded his arms on top of his chest. Rafael only shrugged, pretending not to know, while Max opened his mouth to say something, but his older brother shushed him. That however didn't work and Magnus' eyes widened when he saw the broken vase and a ball next to it. He quite quickly understood what must've happened and he quickly hurried back to the boys.

"Papa, we're sorry," muttered Max and placed his hands together. "We were playing in the living room, even though you and dad don't like that. We're sorry, right Rafe?" asked Max and glanced at the older one, who quickly nodded and bowed his head, knowing that it was pointless to lie.

"We'll buy you a new vase, so don't be too angry and-" started Rafael, but Magnus interrupted him.

"Forget about the vase," muttered Magnus and took Rafael's hand into his and took a closer look at it. "You didn't get hurt, did you?" he then asked, worried and Rafael just shook his head, feeling kind of guilty. He should've known better; Magnus always cared more about them than his things. "And you, Max?" whispered Magnus.

"I'm okay," said Max.

"Yeah, it's just the vase that drew the short straw," muttered Rafael and caused a smile to tug at Magnus' lips. The man then patted both of their heads and just shook his head as he straightened himself up. They were 13 and 11 already, but sometimes Magnus still thought that they were little boys, so he had the tendency to be overprotective. Then again, Alec was even worse in situations like that. As he was taking care of the mess, Alec, who was still half asleep came into the living room and yawned loudly and widely, making the boys laugh and Magnus just chuckled as he hurried to his husband, giving him a gentle good morning kiss.

“Good morning,” said Magnus and beamed up at him.

“Why are you all up so early?” whined Alec and threw himself onto the sofa, sitting next to Rafael and Max. “Couldn’t you two sleep a bit longer?” he then went on by saying and Magnus’ smirk was growing as he went into the kitchen to prepare some coffee for Alec, who was still clearly half asleep. Alec then looked at Max and Rafael, who were innocently looking back at him and he just shook his head, those two were impossible. Rafe was the one, who had a mischievous side to him and it was starting to rub off on Max as well. Then again, they were both precious and he couldn’t really complain.

Max started laughing when he saw the desperate look on his dad’s face and Rafael couldn’t stop himself from laughing as well. Alec was supposed to be an adult, but when he was sleep deprived he turned into a needy child and both of them enjoyed poking fun at him. “Why would we sleep, dad?” asked Rafael and stuck his tongue out. “It’s a _beautiful_ and _sunny_ Sunday morning, so we’re just making sure that you don’t miss out on that.”

“That’s true,” said Max and happily nodded.

Alec opened his mouth to say something, but then closed them again and clicked with his tongue. Luckily, Magnus was back in the living room soon enough, happily humming himself a melody of a song that was unknown to Alec and a wide smile spread across Alec’s face when he saw the two cups of coffee in his hands, happily reaching over when Magnus handed him his own cup and took in a big gulp. As he swallowed, he could already feel how the coffee was making him more and more energised and awake, straightening himself up a little bit and he looked over to the shelf, utterly confused when he saw that Magnus’ vase was nowhere to be seen.

“Magnus, what happened to your vase?” asked Alec and frowned.

“Oh that?” asked Magnus and walked to the shelf when he noticed that the boys’ ball must’ve knocked over the picture frames as well and he smiled when he readjusted them, taking a few moments to look at them. On one, there were Clary and Jace, along with their two adorable daughters, Ella and Erica; twins. On the other picture, there were Isabelle and Simon, who were proudly and happily holding their two month old baby girl, Rose. As he fixed the pictures, he turned around and let out an overdramatic sigh. “It’s in pieces, but I hope that it finally found its peace,” he said playfully and Alec glared at Rafael and Max.

“What did you do?” asked Alec and Magnus started laughing out loud.

“Let it go, darling,” said Magnus and walked closer to his son, giving him a gentle kiss, making all of his ‘anger’ disappear into a thin air. “Scoot over a bit,” he then muttered against the other’s lips and Alec nodded with a smile, scooting over to the boys, leaving some space on the sofa, so that Magnus could sit down as well.

They sat like that in silence, Alec enjoying the way that Magnus was playing with his hair and Magnus grinned when Chairman Meow walked into the room, greeting all of them with a loud meow and when Max called out his name, the cat’s eyes perking up and he quickly ran up to them, the boy lifting Chairman up and the cat started loudly purring as Max and Rafael started happily petting him, Max’s little giggles filling the silence.

“So,” started Alec and looked at the boys. “It’s Sunday and since you two have been so kind to wake me up,” he then went on by saying and chuckled. “Let’s go somewhere.”

“Ooh, yes, let’s do that,” said Max happily and looked at Rafael, who nodded, because it would be nice to go somewhere, together.

“Where would you like to go?” asked Magnus and looked over to the boys.

“It doesn’t really matter,” said Rafe and smiled. “It’s gonna be fun no matter where we are. Right, dad?” he then asked and Alec nodded.

“How about a picnic?” asked Max and looked to the other three, who all found the idea exciting and in the end, they decided to go on a trip out of the town and have a picnic there.

The day outside was more than perfect for the picnic and all four of them ended up having a great time. Magnus and Alec were happily watching Rafael and Max running around as they were playing together and Alec looked to Magnus, who suddenly held his hand at some point. He laced their fingers together and Alec’s heart made a small jump when he looked down and then back up, smiling as Magnus leaned over, their lips meeting in a long and sweet kiss.

“I love you, Alexander,” muttered Magnus and chuckled when Alec pressed their foreheads together.

“I love you too,” replied Alec and sighed. “Thank you for sticking with me, you’ve made me so happy.”

“Why are you thanking me?” said Magnus and laughed softly. “I plan to stick around forever, Alexander,” he then said and bit into his lower lip when he saw that Alec’s cheeks were bring pink. After six years of being together, he still managed to make his husband blush like that. “You’re adorable,” said Magnus and before Alec could say something as a protest, he hugged his chin and pulled his face closer. “Come here,” he then muttered and quieted Alec down with a kiss.

Alec didn’t really mind it and he just smiled into their kiss. _Forever,_ he thought to himself and happily chewed on his lower lip, because he knew that Magnus was right. This what they had was going to last, _forever._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Takes a bow*  
> Thank you for leaving such lovely comments on the last chapter, they touched me and made me cry.  
> Writing this epilogue was really bittersweet, but in the end, I'm really proud that I managed to finish this.  
> So, hopefully, I'll see everyone in one of my future stories.
> 
> So, that would be all.
> 
> Love,  
> Katy*


End file.
